FLMNH Fossil Adventures

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16th Annual Thomas Farm Dig - Spring 2007
Hummingbird Challenge III

April 10 - April 15, 2007

Have you ever excavated the fossil bones of an extinct species? Please join Curator of Ornithology David Steadman, and other museum scientists, in April 2007 for our 16th annual fossil dig at Thomas Farm in Gilchrist County. This very rich fossil site already has produced the remains of more than 60 species of extinct amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

We will excavate 18 million year old fossils of large species such as alligators, tortoises, freshwater turtles, three-toed horses (by the ton), rhinos, camels, deer, and bear-dogs. We also will focus on smaller fossils, which actually far outnumber the large ones. (See the article by Erika Simons in Pony Express vol. 12, no. 2). So, even though we'll be thrilled with each large skull that gets a plaster jacket, we may get even more excited (Dave certainly will be) about the many hundreds of fossils of small frogs, toads, lizards, turtles, birds, and mammals that will appear when we screen-wash the buckets of freshly excavated sand.

During the 2004 Pony Express Thomas Farm Fossil Dig, veteran excavator Bill Lee produced two buckets of sand that were extremely rich in microfossils, setting a high standard for anyone working at Thomas Farm. In 2007, we will do some screen-washing right away on site, although most of it will take place under more controlled conditions at the museum after the field work is completed.

Dave's research on the birds from Thomas Farm is behind our new focus on the microfauna. The dig is called "The Hummingbird Challenge" for two reasons. The first is that it calls attention to the small species of vertebrates that rarely are recovered (or at least rarely are studied) in pre-Pleistocene deposits. The second is that a fossil hummingbird has been discovered recently in the late Oligocene (30 million years old) of Germany, whereas in the Americas (where hummingbirds are confined today), there is not a single fossil of these tiny, colorful, nectar-feeders before the late Pleistocene (only 15 thousand years old). Finding a hummingbird fossil at Thomas Farm would be a major discovery. Even if hummingbirds elude us, the rich microfauna sample that we generate almost certainly will include new species for the Thomas Farm fauna.