Discover our Impact on the Future

During the Age of Discovery, when Europeans first visited Florida, explorers circumnavigated the globe, opening doors to new worlds and revealing the organisms and cultures that inhabited them. The Florida Museum continues that voyage of discovery each day through its collections and research initiatives. The Museum provides a rare window into Florida’s ancient past, illustrating the rich abundance of life and unique habitats pre-dating the arrival of humans by millions of years.

Archaeological collections record the presence of the first Floridians who hunted the great mammoths and mastodons, to the Calusa, Timucua, and the people who greeted Ponce de Leon and his contemporaries thousands of years later. This record of life and culture is irreplaceable, the foundation upon which our understanding of modern Florida is based, and the starting point we use to assess changes to its ecosystems and inhabitants.

The enormous scientific collections at the Florida Museum, and the aggressive research initiatives of faculty, staff and students, play a crucial role in documenting and understanding biotic and cultural change. By creating new knowledge through research, and translating these findings into effective public education programs and exhibits, the Museum touches thousands of lives and raises awareness of the natural world. It inspires people to appreciate and preserve our surroundings for generations to come.

The Museum will continue its long tradition of active collecting, research and student training to prepare the next generation of conservationists, ecologists, anthropologists and evolutionary biologists for the challenges ahead, protecting the diverse and astounding complexity of life on Earth.