Blue Coral (Heliopora caerulea)

Blue Coral

Stony corals produce a white calcium carbonite skeleton, while Blue Corals have a unique pigment in their skeletons that gives…
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Sun Star Fossil

Sun Star Fossil

The Sun Star enjoyed a wide distribution along both American coasts until the Isthmus of Panama formed 3-4 million years…
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Fossil Slab with Sea Urchins and Scallops

Fossil Slab

This community of bottom-dwelling organisms was rapidly buried, providing a snapshot of marine life not normally seen in the fossil…
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Fossil Seagrass

Fossil Seagrass

Seagrass meadows have functioned as critical nurseries for tens of millions of years, providing food and protection for many organisms….
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Agatized (Fossil) Coral

Agatized (Fossil) Coral

Agatized Coral forms when silica replaces the original calcium carbonate skeleton of a coral colony. This replacement process creates beautiful…
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close up of the heads of two Walking Catfish (Clarias batrachus)

Walking Catfish

These fish first appeared in Florida in the early 1960s as escapees of the aquarium trade. They can breathe air…
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Smalltooth Sawfish (Pristis pectinata) & Largetooth Sawfish (Pristis pristis) snouts showing the different color and size of the snout and teeth

Sawfish

The five species of sawfishes are globally endangered in part because their rostra (snouts) are prized trophy items. The Largetooth…
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Lionfish (Pterois volitans) specimen showing the striped pattern and long spines of the lionfish

Pacific Red Lionfish

Lionfish were introduced to the Atlantic Coast of Florida in the 1980s by either release or escape from marine aquariums….
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Maryland darter (Etheostoma sellare)

Maryland Darter

Biologists discovered the Maryland Darter in 1912 in a creek in Maryland, and the reclusive fish wasn’t seen again until…
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Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus)

Largemouth Bass

The economic impact of fishing in Florida is estimated to be $5.1 billion annually. This historical specimen of Largemouth Bass…
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