Museums in the Parks | The Mammals of Payne’s Prairie State Park
In November 2021, mammal collections manager Verity Mathis and graduate student Aditi Jayarajan worked with FM museum educators to present Mammals in the Parks at Payne’s Prairie State Park. We talked about the common mammals that might be found at the park, and then we walked around outside with the event attendees, looking for mammal sign! We found sign of bison, wild horses, coyotes, and even spotted an armadillo!
Talking to our group about the mammals found at Payne’s Prairie
A participant captures a photo of one of the bats found at Payne’s Prairie
Some of the mammals found at Payne’s Prairie
Discussing some of the mammals found at Payne’s Prairie
Verity discussing coyote dentition with an interested participant
Some of the types of mammals found at Payne’s Prairie
Aditi discusses the bats of Payne’s Prairie
Dr. Mathis talks about the mammals of Payne’s Prairie
Dr. Mathis discussing animal sign and tracks at Payne’s Prairie
Earth Day | Mammal Collection Exhibit
Each year the Florida Museum celebrates Earth Day by showcasing specimens from our research collection that the public rarely gets to see. This is our open house, if you like. All of the researchers and students in Mammalogy participate and each table has a theme. The students get together to devise the themes and choose the specimens that will be on display. Because we do this ever year, we try to keep the content changing and interesting to the public. In the images below we had two sets of tables, one highlighting Florida Panthers and one highlighting the common mammals of Florida. Both were a hit with the guests.
This annual event highlights one of the Museum’s collections for ONE NIGHT ONLY! Members at the Supporting level or higher enjoy tasty hors d’oeuvres, live music and beverages while learning more about the value of museum collections.
