Discover life on earth at the Florida Museum with this collection of images, audio, video, apps, ID guides and live cams. Also explore some of our research and collections resources.
- Identify a Florida Snake An easy step-by-step guide.
- Florida Snake Visual ID Quickly scan and ID a Florida snake.
- Snakes of Florida A non-technical list of Florida snakes.
- Guide to Florida’s Venomous Snakes Only these six Florida snakes are venomous.
- Checklist of Florida Amphibians & Reptiles A checklist of amphibians and reptiles of Florida.
- Florida Bird Songs Listen to sound clips of common Florida bird species.
- Southeastern U.S. Birds Image Gallery A photographic guide to many of the birds of the Southeast region.
- 3D Augmented Reality Butterfly Cards Highlighting common and rare Florida butterflies, this set of cards features augmented reality bringing each species to life. Download the free Libraries of Life app from any mobile device to view additional content.
- Butterfly Brochures Download colorful brochures covering flowering plants, wildflowers, native insect pollinators, butterflies, larvae, host plants and more.
- Butterflies & Moths Image Gallery Collection of butterfly, moth and caterpillar images from around the world.
- Butterfly Rainforest Exhibit Identification Guide This guide, organized by color, contains photographs of the more than 150 Lepidoptera species displayed in the Florida Museum’s Butterfly Rainforest exhibit since it opened in 2004.
- Florida’s Wildflowers & Butterflies Information about the 50 most common native wildflowers and butterflies in Florida.
- Frequently Asked Questions These are the most frequently asked questions about butterflies and moths – we’ve got your butterfly basics covered!
- Butterfly Rainforest Live Critter Cams Choose Canopy Cam or Chrysalis Cam to watch our butterflies live.
- Moths of North Central Florida Reference images from a survey of moth fauna of Paynes Prairie outside of Gainesville, Florida.
- Wings Over Florida A free bird and butterfly listing recognition program that rewards people for their Florida life list and big year list achievements.
- Fishes Aquatic Image Gallery Extensive collection of fish and shark images from around the world. Many of the fish pictured in the gallery also have Biological Profiles that give an overview on the habitat range, spawning and developmental aspects of the fish.
- Identification Key to Native Freshwater Fishes of Peninsular Florida Field key to aid in identifying Florida freshwater fishes.
- Sharks Encountered in the U.S. Atlantic Field key to sharks encountered in the U.S. Atlantic bottom longline shark fishery and by recreational anglers.
- Shark Tooth Identification Guide Somewhat technical key to the common genera of Neogene fossil shark teeth.
- Key to Identifying the Freshwater Snails of Florida A technical key emphasizing shell characteristics supplemented with illustrations and habitat information.
- Land Snails of Papua New Guinea Recent surveys of numerous sites throughout Papua New Guinea uncovered approximately 150 snail species that are new to science. This photo gallery includes some of these, as well as other snail species from Papua New Guinea
- Marine Biodiversity of Guam & the Mariana Islands Underwater images of sponges, mollusks, crustaceans, sea stars, jellyfish, corals and more.
- Bats Live Critter Cams Choose Bat Houses External View or Bat Barn Interior for live viewing of the UF campus bat houses.
- Checklist of Vascular Plants of North Central Florida A list of the more common or biologically interesting species found in North Central Florida as a guide for those studying the plant life of the region.
- Florida’s Wildflowers & Butterflies Information about the 50 most common native wildflowers and butterflies in Florida.
- Floristic Inventory of Kanapaha Botanical Gardens High resolution, zoomable images of plants found at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Gainesville, Florida.
- Herbarium Type Specimens High resolution, zoomable images of type specimens in the Herbarium collection.
- Insectivorous (Carnivorous) Florida Plant Species High resolution, zoomable images of carnivorous pitcher plants, sundews and butterworts.
- Plant Species Introduced in Florida High resolution, zoomable images of introduced plants in Florida.
- Potentially Poisonous Florida Plant Species High resolution, zoomable images of potentially poisonous plant species in Florida.
- Revealing the Rare: A Virtual Collection of Florida’s Endangered Plant Species High resolution, zoomable images of endangered, threatened and commercially exploitable Florida plants.
- Trees of the University of Florida A guide to the trees, both native and exotic, of the University of Florida campus. Approximately 1,200 individual trees in the central areas of the campus have been marked with numbered tags.
What Does It Mean?
Genetics: the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms.
Systematics: the study of relationships among living things through time.
Molecular Systematics: the analysis of hereditary molecular differences, mainly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism’s evolutionary relationships.
- Genetic Resources Repository Virtual Tour See how the Museum’s genetic specimens are stored in a liquid nitrogen freezer and learn how plant and animal tissues are prepared for this special collection.
- Cowrie Genetic Database Project This project has been established to rigorously examine the phylogenetic relationships within this diverse group of marine snails using a variety of DNA molecular markers.
- Florida Museum Science News and articles about Florida Museum natural science research. From collecting expeditions to new discoveries by Museum researchers, Science covers a range of topics for aspiring scientists and curious spectators.
- Florida Museum’s YouTube Channel Watch videos about museum research, events and programs, exhibits and more.
- Florida Program for Shark Research The FPSR is involved in many areas of shark research, including shark biology, ecology, and behavior. In addition, the FPSR monitors shark attacks through the International Shark Attack File and promotes shark conservation and educational outreach through such programs as Project Shark Awareness.
- Research on Freshwater Fishes Find out more about the findings from several active research teams studying invertebrates around the world.
- Herbarium Research Projects Herbarium staff and students participate in diverse projects spanning traditional morphological plant systematics, floristics, plant anatomy, molecular analysis and pollination ecology.
- Invertebrate Zoology Research Find out more about the findings from several active research teams studying invertebrates around the world.
- South Florida Aquatic Environments Learn about three imperiled south Florida ecosystems – the Everglades, Florida Bay, and Florida Keys – along with the role of museum collections in providing a historical taxonomic and distribution database.
- Museum Voices Blogs Delve into blogs from many areas of the museum, from the Spineless Science marine invertebrates blog to the Monbrook Fossil Dig news blog.
Visit these Museum collections and labs sites for more information:
- Amphibians & Reptiles (Herpetology)
- Birds (Ornithology)
- Butterflies & Moths (Lepidoptera)
- Fish & Sharks (Ichthyology)
- Mammals (Mammology)
- Mollusks & Marine Invertebrates (Malacology & Invertebrate Zoology)
- Plants (Botany/Herbarium)
- Genetic Resources Repository
- Kawahara Lab of Insect Systematics & Evolution
- Reed Lab (Mammalian Ectoparasites)
- Soltis Lab of Molecular Systematics & Evolutionary Genetics
Biodiversity News from the Florida Museum
Jul 23, 2020
New native Hawaiian land snail species discovered, first in 60 years
S cientists have described a new native Hawaiian land snail species, sounding a rare, hopeful note in a story rife…
Jul 22, 2020
Giant, fruit-gulping pigeon eaten into extinction on Pacific islands
A large fruit-eating bird from Tonga joins the dodo in the lineup of giant island pigeons hunted to extinction. Fossils…
Jul 16, 2020
Disney awards funding to UF butterfly, sea turtle conservation projects
As part of its work to save wildlife, the Disney Conservation Fund awarded funding to two University of Florida research…