The Hall of Florida Fossils

This 5,000-square-foot exhibit describes the history of the Florida Platform through five geologic time periods. The exhibition takes visitors on a walk through time beginning in the Eocene epoch, when Florida was underwater. Visitors travel through the Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs and see Florida's first land animals, evolving grasslands and savannahs and the land bridge between North and South America that formed about 3 million years ago. The exhibit ends with the arrival of the first humans in Florida near the end of the Pleistocene.

Over 90 percent of the exhibit's 500 fossils are real, and many were found within 100 miles of Gainesville.

This exhibit presents the most up-to-date knowledge about scientific paleontology," said Bruce MacFadden, associate director of exhibits and public programs. "It is the most carefully researched and comprehensive paleontology exhibition in the Southeastern United States."

The entrance to the hall showcases six fossil shark jaws, ranging in height from 2-9 feet. The exhibition begins with five extinction events described in dioramas that lead visitors onto the Florida Platform at about 65 million years ago, also known as the Dawn of the Age of Mammals. Displays include a primitive-toothed whale in the Eocene, a pig-like, extinct mammal from the Oligocene, a Miocene rhinoceros being attacked by two saber-toothed, cat-like animals, a 15-foot-tall sloth standing on its hind legs in the Pliocene area and a 500,000-year-old jaguar chasing a peccary from the Pleistocene epoch. The time periods also include artwork by paleoartists from around the world, including a 9-foot-tall steel sculpture of an extinct Terror Bird, Titanis walleri. Videos by Karst Productions, Inc. play in each time period.

Experience a 360º view of the Hall of Florida Fossils

"To see the diversity of the organisms that inhabited Florida millions of years ago is impressive," said Kurt Auffenberg, project manager for the hall. "But we are very lucky that predators like the Titanis are extinct."

Auffenberg said the Fossil Hall employs innovative techniques to make the exhibit more interesting to visitors. For example, David Grill, who has done work for events such as the Olympics, used more than 100 theater lights to create a dramatic mood. The exhibit also places skeletal mounts and steel sculptures in action poses for more dynamic presentations, such as a bear scratching its back against a tree or a skunk on its front paws spraying a predator.

"Outlining Florida's geological history as well as bringing to life the creatures that roamed the ancient landscape will enlighten a lot of people about the rich fossil history of this state," Auffenberg said.