There is an indelible connection between storytelling and wanderlust. The person who asks the questions and goes searching for answers down unmarked paths often returns to tell us about what they found.
We like to think scientists live this life, especially paleontologists. The journey to find fossils in the earth also requires a journey back through deep time to unravel the complex story of evolution and global environmental change. They return from the field and the lab to tell us what they discover.
Cruisin’ Deep Time
In February, we were excited to host Ray Troll and Kirk Johnson at the Museum for our members and fossil fans to hear about their adventures and collaborative books. Ray is an Alaskan artist who playfully blends scientific accuracy with colorful surrealism to illustrate Earth’s early biodiversity. Kirk is a paleontologist and communicator and currently serves as the Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, home of the world’s largest natural history collection.
Together, Ray and Kirk have been traveling to dig up unusual fossils, peruse museum collections, talk to both amateur and professional paleontologists, and generally wander through the fossil record. Their enthusiasm reveals the deep curiosity that fuels all scientific discovery.
They channel that excitement into books, exhibits, podcasts, documentaries and talks. Their goal is to broaden our view of early life beyond dinosaurs and illuminate the wild variety of floras and faunas that flourished through time to bring us to where we are today.
The duo presents their stories with charming observations and sometimes groan-worthy dad jokes. While they make the results look effortless and fun, their journey also includes perseverance, risk and a certain amount of tedious labor.
Florida Museum members, staff and visitors enjoyed the presentation as well as socializing before and after with Kirk and Ray and Museum scientists. For just a few hours, our Denny Gallery was the center of a small community of people sharing their excitement for fossils and the stories they tell us about our past.
Into the Earth
Ray and Kirk came to Florida to get dirty. They like talking about art and imagination and how humans breathe life into the fossil remnants of long-extinct animals. But ultimately, they’re on the paleontologist’s quest to kneel in the dirt with tools to see what’s down there.
Jon Bloch and Advait Jukar, curators of our vertebrate paleontology collection, hosted a dig day at Montbrook to bring our guests into the sunbaked pit. Our active dig site is often scattered with clusters of volunteers patiently brushing and picking their way into the gritty soil as familiar shapes emerge. Thousands of hours of work by hundreds of hands have brought a vast library of fossils from this unassuming tract of earth.
Once a river system with a coast nearby, Montbrook has layer upon layer of animals pressed into the fossil record. There are more turtles than can be counted. Snakes, alligators, water birds and a myriad of fish show the rich aquatic biodiversity of this place five million years ago. The area was a source of water so animals came from all around to refresh themselves. A number of them never made it out…at least, until now.
Guests at the dig site often find turtle skulls or horse teeth or fish vertebrae, but everyone hopes for a big mammal like a rhino or gomphothere. Some discoveries make headlines while most are cataloged into the rich collection of data to support future research. Ray and Kirk uncovered fossils, talked shop with our volunteer digging crew and tucked away knowledge towards their next project.
The day wrapped with a final look at fragments of ancient animals that haven’t seen the sunlight in millions of years. Ray and Kirk dusted off the grit of Montbrook as they climbed into the departing truck, but they took with them more ideas and more questions about the complex story of Florida’s fossil record. We’re excited for the next story they’re crafting.
In the meantime, we’ll keep digging.
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