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Florida Fossils

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      • Antarctic Dinosaurs
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      • Butterfly Rainforest
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      • Megalodon: Largest Shark that Ever Lived
      • Our Changing Climate: Past and Present
      • Our Changing Climate: Sea Level Rise
      • Earth’s Forecast: Hurricanes and Climate Change
      • Edible Insects: It’s What’s For Dinner
      • Mosquitoes: Friend or Foe?
underwater marine painting of Florida's Oligocene with sharks, fish, shells, coral and other creatures.

Florida Oligocene painting by David Miller

Aug 29, 2023

Oligocene Epoch 34 million to 23 million years ago During the Oligocene, global temperatures cooled, trapping water in the polar … Continued

painting of several small mammals and a large snake with a very large predator approaching from the distance

Florida Oligocene painting by Carl Buell

Aug 22, 2023

Oligocene Epoch 34 million to 23 million years ago During the previous epoch, Florida was under water, but the global … Continued

painting of an underwater scene with a shark and a crocodile swimming above a seagrass bed

Florida Eocene painting by David Miller

Aug 18, 2023

Eocene Epoch 56 million to 34 million years ago During the Eocene, the Earth was generally warmer than it is … Continued

a landscape painting of open grassland with a leopard chasing boar-like animals in the front and several large elephants in the background

Florida Fossils: Pleistocene Epoch

Jun 11, 2022

Pleistocene Epoch 2 million to 10,000 years ago The ice ages of the Pleistocene wreaked climatic havoc on the northern … Continued

fossil hall exhibit in the Florida museum with dramatically lit fossils and people exploring the exhibit

Florida Fossils: Pliocene Epoch

May 11, 2022

Pliocene Epoch 5 million to 2 million years ago The formation of a land bridge across Panama in Central America … Continued

painting of an underwater scene featuring a large ray with wide wings swimming above sea grass near an outcropping of coral with fish swimming above it

Florida Fossils: Miocene Epoch

Apr 11, 2022

Miocene Epoch 24 million to 5 million years ago While much of the Northern Hemisphere was becoming cooler, the warm … Continued

painting of several small mammals and a large snake with a very large predator approaching from the distance

Florida Fossils: Oligocene Epoch

Mar 11, 2022

Oligocene Epoch 34 million to 24 million years ago Global climates became cooler during the Oligocene, causing sea levels to … Continued

painting of an underwater scene with a shark and a crocodile swimming above a seagrass bed

Florida Fossils: Eocene Epoch

Feb 11, 2022

Eocene Epoch 55 million to 34 million years ago During this period, lush tropical forests blanketed much of the world’s … Continued

articulated fossil skeleton of a mammoth

Mammoths and mastodons and sloths, oh my!

Jun 29, 2020

What’s the difference between a mammoth and a mastodon? Were there other sharks besides the famous Megalodon swimming in the … Continued

man looks at skeleton of large bird-like prehistory animal

Museum from home: Florida’s fossil history!

May 15, 2020

What was Florida like hundreds of thousands of years ago? What do the fossils we discover today tell us about … Continued

Exhibits contact info

Florida Museum of Natural History
Gainesville, FL 32611
352-846-2000 (Exhibits)

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