Skip to main content
  • Visit
  • Learn
  • Collections + Research
  • News + Blogs
  • About + Support

Florida Museum

  • Search
  • Visit
  • Learn
  • Collections + Research
  • News + Blogs
  • About + Support
  • Research News
  • Blogs
  • For Journalists
    • Our Research
    • Our People
    • For Media
    • #MuseumLife Blog
    • All Museum Blogs Feed
    • Museum Blogs Index
    • Press Releases
    • Media Contacts

Research News

Vertebrate Paleontology

Photograph of sloth fossils from multiple species aligned next to each other to show the difference in size.

Evolution

Scientists have figured out how extinct giant ground sloths got so big and where it all went wrong

May 22, 2025

Most of us are familiar with sloths, the bear-like animals that hang from trees, live life in the slow lane,…
Read More

Photograph of the front-half of a black and white mottled lizard, viewed from the side and with its tongue sticking out.

Life on Earth

From prehistoric resident to runaway pet: First tegu fossil found in the U.S.

May 12, 2025

Originally from South America, the charismatic tegu made its way to the United States via the pet trade of the…
Read More

Illustration of a sebecid standing over its prey, a ground sloth. Snails, turtles, and crocodilians are visible in the surroundings.

Life on Earth

Giant croclike carnivore fossils found in the Caribbean

April 30, 2025

Imagine a crocodile built like a greyhound — that’s a sebecid. Standing tall, with some species reaching 20 feet in…
Read More

Person holding a butterfly.

Awards & Honors

Florida Museum announces 2025 Austin, biodiversity and Bullen award winners

April 2, 2025

The Florida Museum of Natural History has announced the winners of its annual Austin, biodiversity and Bullen graduate student awards,…
Read More

Illustration of an extinct mammal climbing up a tree trunk.

Evolution

A 62-million-year-old skeleton sheds light on an enigmatic mammal

March 12, 2025

For more than 140 years, Mixodectes pungens, a species of small mammal that inhabited western North America in the early…
Read More

Photograph of fossilized snail specimen

Features

Florida Museum fossils go to space

February 10, 2025

The recent launch of Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket marked several historic milestones. The 21-year-old crew member Karsen Kitchen set…
Read More

Illustration of a giant, extinct elephant in front of some deer in a lush, mountainous landscape.

Life on Earth

Rare fossils of extinct elephant document the earliest known instance of butchery in India

October 21, 2024

During the late middle Pleistocene, between 300 and 400 thousand years ago, at least three ancient elephant relatives died near…
Read More

Illustration of a large grey whale with an open mouth, revealing sharp teeth

News in Brief

New book brings prehistoric mammals to life

October 8, 2024

After the extinction of dinosaurs came the age of mammals. A new book brings readers into this world with well-researched…
Read More

test

Profiles

Bruce MacFadden, curator of vertebrate paleontology, retires after 47 years at the Florida Museum of Natural History

August 7, 2024

In 1977, Bruce MacFadden accepted a curatorial position with the Florida Museum of Natural History’s vertebrate paleontology collection. Since then,…
Read More

Person handles fossil at a desk in front of a cabinet full of museum specimens.

Hires & Promotions

Advait Jukar joins Florida Museum of Natural History as newest curator of vertebrate paleontology

August 7, 2024

The Florida Museum of Natural History welcomes Advait Jukar as its newest curator of vertebrate paleontology. He replaces curator emeritus…
Read More

123…11
Next →

Contact Info

Florida Museum of Natural History
Gainesville, FL 32611

Media inquiries:
Jerald Pinson, Science Writer

Florida Museum Newsletters

Subscribe Now

Museum Info

Exhibits Building Closed for Renovations

  • Learn More
  • Staff Directory

Legal

  • © Copyright 2025
  • Contact the Web Manager
  • This page uses Google Analytics
  • Google Privacy Policy
  • UF Privacy Policy
  • Social Media
  • Log In
Florida Museum of Natural History logo University of Florida logo
1 / 0