Caribbean Monk Seal Bone photographed to show the pitted interior of the bone

Caribbean Monk Seal

Caribbean Monk Seals were last seen in the 1950s, in part because people overhunted them for oil and overfished their…
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White's Bear-Dog Skull (Amphicyon longiramus) pressed flat and still in a thin plaster cast

White’s Bear-Dog

During excavations, paleontologists place fragile fossils inside plaster jackets to protect them for transport to the lab. Once there, they…
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Titanoboa Vertebra and two Ribs

Titanoboa

Titanoboa, discovered by Museum scientists, was the largest snake that ever lived. Estimated up to 50 feet long and 3…
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complete articulated skeleton of a Terror Bird (Titanis walleri)

Terror Bird

This object is on permanent display in the Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life and Land exhibit, located on the center…
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Giant Ground Sloth Skull and Claw (Paramylodon harlani)

South American Species

Giant Armadillos and Ground Sloths came to North America from the south during the interchange. Like most “megafauna,” they became…
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Florida Rhino (Aphelops mutilus)

Rhinoceroses

Rhinos originated in North America 55–50 million years ago, and were common in Florida until their extinction ~5 million years…
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Rhinoceros Bone Bed (Menoceras)

Rhinoceros Bone Bed

Fossil evidence shows that the two-horned rhinoceros once roamed the plains of North America in great numbers. The bones and…
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Horse Skull (Equis insulatus) & Saber-toothed Cat Skull (Smilodon populator)

North American Species

Horses evolved in North America and traveled south during the interchange, later becoming extinct in the Americas before Spaniards reintroduced…
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Megalodon Shark lower Jaw with several rows of large black teeth

Megalodon Shark

Related to the modern great white and mako sharks, Megalodon was a dominant marine predator in the world’s oceans for…
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