Our blogs highlight the work of our scientists and support team that catalogs and examines global biodiversity, from the origin of earth as we know it, through present day, and forward into future possibilities.
Monarch Migration and the University of Florida – upcoming programs and a brief history of research and conservation
The McGuire Center and University of Florida have a deep history of studying the extraordinary phenomenon of Monarch migration, where…
The Florida Cottonmouth: More Bark Than Bite?
Florida has some pretty wild wildlife, especially when it comes to snakes. Of the 55 species of snakes established in…
New Student Award Honors Florida Museum Curator Jacqueline Y. Miller
A new student award honoring the late Jacqueline Y. Miller was established by the Southern Lepidopterists’ Society and given at…
Sand Mountain Blues
The Sand Mountain Blue butterfly, Euphilotes pallescens arenamontana, lives on a single Nevada dune system, making it incredibly vulnerable to…
Documenting the 1614 Spanish Attack on the Calusa Realm
It is well known that the power and reach of the Calusa chiefdom constantly thwarted Spanish colonial ambitions to control…
Perspective: Hurricanes, the Calusa, and what we can learn
The southwest coast of Florida boasts one of the longest and most enduring histories of coastal lifeways in North America.…
Hard Hats and Hidden Treasures: Construction Update
Construction is progressing steadily on the expansion of Powell Hall and the addition of the University of Florida Thompson Earth…
The Early Bird Got the Band
Nearly 50 curious bird aficionados recently joined researchers out at Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery on a Saturday morning for a…
Getting to Know Us: Jim Niehaus
The Florida Museum’s Randell Research Center is not only home to the Calusa Heritage Trail at the renown Pineland archaeological…
Spotlight from the Calusa Heritage Trail: Summer 2025
Hello from the Calusa Heritage Trail! As the long days of summer are wrapping up for some, here on Pine…
Humans, Heritage, and Hurricanes on Pine Island, Florida
This past spring, the UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute (TESI) and the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Randell Research Center…
Pine Island Community: Summer 2025
We had a great time representing the RRC at the Pine Island July 4th Parade! It was a very rainy…
Behind the Scenes in the Butterfly Rainforest
Curious about what is happening in the Butterfly Rainforest during the closure? The butterflies may not be flying, but there’s…
Summer science with family in the field
With schools out for summer break and our exhibit building temporarily closed for our expansion project, we were more excited…
From the Archives: Diving for Fossils
Paleontology happens everywhere. Every region presents new terrain and challenges for excavation, but each is also uniquely rewarding in the…
Nocturnal Neighbors: Moth Collecting and Night Fieldwork
What an opportunity! Our newest Lepidoptera curator, Vaughn Shirey, was planning a celebration of National Moth Week and had an…
RRC and Calusa Heritage Trail to temporarily close for renovation project
The Calusa Heritage Trail is open to the public! We are thrilled to announce that the Calusa Heritage Trail is…
Sharks on tap! Outreach at the brewery for Shark Week 2025
Our shark research team jumped at the opportunity to join colleagues at a local brewery to ride the wave of…
Summer 2025 in the Butterfly Rainforest
It’s so quiet in the exhibit! Well, not exactly quiet. It can get a little noisy from the renovation work…
From the Archives: Through the Decades at Dickinson Hall
In the early 1970s, the Vertebrate Paleontology collections settled into the newly-constructed Dickinson Hall, which remains their home to this…