Good books broaden our horizons and inspire new conversations, no matter where we are! Join the Florida Museum of Natural History and Alachua County Library District for the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read, a series of events building community while lifting the voices of women in science!
Build a mini plant press with Allison Bordini using items you might have at home
While digging in our west pit on March 9th, volunteer, Bri Blaga found a heavily eroded horse tooth. The layers in her square were dipping almost completely vertically and the sand was yellow/orange instead of our typical white beach sand. There were other fragments nearby so she continu
The specimen was poorly mineralized and delicate but was well consolidated with B–
Diodon hystrix This porcupinefish looks similar to its relative, the balloonfish, but its body is uniformly grayish-tan, speckled evenly with black spots, with a white belly. The spines all over its body are modified scales, and when it’s threatened, it intakes water, puffing up and making the sp
secrete a toxic skin substance so are usually considered poisonous, although they have
Books Jones, M. G., Corin, E., Ennes, M., Cayton, E. Childers, G., (2019). Discovery Engineering: Physical Science Case Studies. NSTA Press Hite, R., Childers, G., Ennes, M., Jones, M. G. (2019). Discovery Engineering: Biology Case Studies. NSTA Press Book Chapters Ennes, M., Jones, M. G., Cia
Publications I am happy to share a copy of these articles with anyone who does not have
The FLAS collection was initially organized under two curatorial styles. The modern collection was kept in envelope-type packets, placed vertically and organized in archival trays. Another part of the collection, encompassing most of the historical collections that date back to the 1800s (Severin Ra
Because of the different orientation of the specimens these two collections have
Volunteers are a vital part of the mission of the Florida Museum. By joining our team, you can become part of this unique group of dedicated individuals! Adult Volunteer Opportunities Due to the temporary closure of our exhibits hall, our public-facing volunteer roles are limited. However, we ar
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Siren lacertina Quick Facts Common Name: greater siren Siren lacertina is a large, extant salamander in the family Sirenidae that has been living relatively unchanged for 2.5 million years. Alive, they are olive to light gray with elongate, snake-like bodies, short external gills, no hind li
, frogs, or other aquatic salamanders, so presumably their ecologic preferences have
Tapirus webbi Quick Facts Common Name: Webb’s tapir The oldest known species of Tapirus from Florida. Starting with this species, tapirs were a common component of Florida’s fauna for about 9 million years, until their extinction about 12,000 years ago. Some features of the skull sugge
Map of Florida, with highlights indicating counties where fossils of this species have
Sphyrna mokarran The great hammerhead is the largest of the hammerheads in the family Sphyrnidae. The “hammer head�, or cephalophoil, is straight and square relative to the major axis of the body. The body is stout and classically shark-shaped with a markedly tall, curved, first dorsal fin. T
Fun Fact: As with all sharks and rays, hammerheads have small pores or “ampullae
Southern Toad Scientific name: Anaxyrus terrestris These stout toads are plentiful throughout Florida, but can often be confused with the invasive Cane toad. Southern toads are nocturnal omnivores that come out of their sandy burrows to eat—well, pretty much anything they can get in their mouths
Appearance Medium-size, squat and plump, they’re usually 1.5 to 3 inches long but have
