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Fossil Hall
University of Florida Museum of Natural History
Awesome Dinosaur sounds thanks to: SoundBible.com
All Fossil photos credit: Walkingfox
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Why Fossils?
In researching the content for this web
site, many
personal contacts made their way
into my life.
One of these was Sheryl Todd whose web
site
about Tapirs prompted this new Category.
Tapirs no longer exist in this
country,
except in Zoos, but surprisingly,
Florida is the number
one source
of Tapir Fossils in the world.
If you are wondering what all of this has
to do
with the Endangered Wildlife of Florida,
I will
make this very weak case for my
departure.
Tapirs were once quite abundant here
and are now extinct.
If we are not extremely vigilant, there
will be many
more plants and wildlife now alive in
Florida, that
will soon join the Tapir and become extinct as
well.
So, in honor of Sheryl and the Tapirs
that she loves,
I will offer this humble page about the
very First
Animals of Florida, who have now become
our Fossils.
Florida's Fossils
To begin: what is a Fossil?
A Fossil is the remnant of a living thing
that has died
and become encapsulated in or part
of another life form.
Amber is a protective resin (a liquid
within a plant) that often
captures other life forms on it way to
becoming a Fossil.
A Fossil can also be formed under
pressure,
like those that become imbedded in rock.
A Fossil can be either a plant or an
animal.
Many of Florida's Fossils were Giant
versions of
some of the species that are still here
today:
Alligators, Armadillos, Bison, Camels,
Crocodiles, Deer,
Elephants, Horses, Jaguars, Mammoths, Mastodons,
Rhinos, Saber
Tooth Cats, Sharks, Sloths, Tapirs,
Tortoises and a flightless bird named Titanis
Walleri.
Any journey into the world of Florida's
Fossils should
begin at the Museum of Natural History
in Gainesville.
This is a world class display of Fossils
and a
wonderful place to take your children.
The University's Paleontologists and the
impressive
collection that they have amassed in a very
short time have made the Museum
the pride of the "Gator
Nation."
There are 500 specimens on display and as
they say,
"90% of them are real and many were found
within 100 miles of the Museum."
Places to learn more:
CNN
When
Mastodons Ruled South Florida
DEP
Florida
Fossils
Florida Museum of Natural History
The Hall of
Florida Fossils
Paleontology Portal
Florida's Paleontology
Tapirs
All About Tapirs
University of Florida
Ancient Sharks
Florida Fossils
University of South Florida
Fossils and the Natural History of Florida
USGS Publication Online:
Fossils, Rocks and Time
Walking with the Alligators
Write to Gator Woman
amberziek6 at centurylink.net
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Last edited January 12, 2023
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