The Montbrook Site is very productive and almost all volunteers will find some fossil specimens on their first day. The most commonly found fossils are bones from the shell of freshwater turtles and vertebrae, spines, scales, and skull bones of fish, including gar, catfish, snook, and drum. Fossils of alligator, birds, and mammals are also found, but less frequently.
Volunteer in the Field
Volunteering at a fossil dig can be hard work and very exciting!
We generally only dig when the weather allows it, several days per week during the season.
For more information on volunteering at this dig:
Volunteer in the Collection
If you are interested in what happens to the fossils once they are brought back to the lab, or just prefer to work indoors, you can volunteer in the vertebrate paleontology collection here on UF campus or at our off-campus warehouse in Gainesville. Volunteers prepare specimens out of plaster jackets, screen wash, glue bone fragments back together, pick microfossils, or help with the cataloging process. To learn more about volunteering in the lab or warehouse:
Volunteer in the Collection
