Florida mangrove swamps, although they 

 utilize many other habitats. The key 

 deer, a rare and endangered subspecies, is 

 restricted to the Big Pine Key group in 

 the Florida Keys, although it ranged onto 

 the mainland in historical times. Al- 

 though this little deer makes use of pine 

 uplands and oak hammocks, it extensively 

 exploits mangrove swamps for food and 

 cover. 



Two marine mammals, the bottlenose 

 porpoise and the manatee, frequent 

 mangrove-lined waterways. The bottlenose 

 porpoise feeds on mangrove-associated 

 fishes such as the striped mullet, Mugi 1 

 cephal us . Although the manatee feeds 



primarily upon sea grasses and other 

 submerged aquatic plants, it is commonly 

 found in canals, coastal rivers, and 

 embayments close to mangrove swamps. 



Except for the Cudjoe Key rice rat, 

 none of the mammals found in Florida man- 

 groves are solely dependent upon mangrove 

 ecosystems; all of these species can 

 utilize other habitats. The destruction 

 of extensive mangrove swamps would, how- 

 ever, have deleterious effects on almost 

 all of these species. Populations of 

 panther, key deer, and the river otter 

 would probably be the most seriously 

 affected, because they use mangrove habi- 

 tat extensively. 



73 



