Geer, Alexandra van der, 1963-Lyras, G. A. (George A.)MacPhee, R. D. E.Lomolino, Mark V., 1953-Drinia, Hara.2014-07-012014-07-012014-06-30http://hdl.handle.net/2246/654026 pages : illustrations (some color), map ; 26 cm.Age-graded fossils of Pleistocene endemic Cretan deer (Candiacervus spp.) reveal unexpectedly high juvenile mortality similar to that reported for extant mainland ruminants, despite the fact that these deer lived in a predator-free environment and became extinct before any plausible date for human arrival. Age profiles show that deer surviving past the fawn stage were relatively long-lived for ruminants, indicating that high juvenile mortality was not an expression of their living a "fast" life. Although the effects on survivorship of such variables as fatal accidents, starvation, and disease are difficult to gauge in extinct taxa, the presence of extreme morphological variability within nominal species/ecomorphs of Candiacervus is consistent with the view that high juvenile mortality can function as a key innovation permitting rapid adaptation in insular contexts.en-USCandiacervus.Mortality.Age determination.Animal life cycles.Cervidae, Fossil.Deer, Fossil.Island animals.Island ecology.Crete (Greece)Greece.