A 62-million-year-old skeleton sheds light on an enigmatic mammal
For more than 140 years, Mixodectes pungens, a species of small mammal that inhabited western North America in the early…
The yucca and the moth: How extreme weather impacts the timing of biological events
Whether it is flowers sprouting in the spring, cicadas mating in the blistering heat of summer, or caterpillars hatching to…
Underwater fossil bed discovered by collectors preserves rare slice of Florida’s past
About half a million years ago, several horses, sloths and armadillos fell into a sinkhole in Florida’s Big Bend region…
Unprovoked shark bites plummeted in 2024
2024 was an exceptionally calm year for shark bites. Worldwide, there were only 47 unprovoked attacks, down 22 from the…
Florida Museum fossils go to space
The recent launch of Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket marked several historic milestones. The 21-year-old crew member Karsen Kitchen set…
Decades-long study shows this endangered butterfly benefits from hurricanes
Sometimes, nature’s surprises come with wings. In a new study, scientists pulled from a 35-year dataset to examine long-term population…
Glaucia Del-Rio joins the Florida Museum of Natural History as curator of ornithology
Last week, Glaucia Del-Rio officially stepped into her role as curator of ornithology at the Florida Museum of Natural History.…
Vaughn Shirey joins Florida Museum of Natural History as newest curator of butterflies and moths
We are excited to welcome our newest curator, Vaughn Shirey, to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Working in the…
Randell Research Center teams up with GatorCorps and Gulf Scholars to tackle climate change on Pine Island, Florida
The Florida Museum’s Randell Research Center was hit by two major hurricanes this year. Helene rolled along the Gulf Coast…
This mysterious plant fossil belongs to a family that no longer exists
In 1969, fossilized leaves of the species Othniophyton elongatum — which translates to “alien plant” — were identified in eastern…