Florida Museum of Natural History

@floridamuseum.bsky.social

6035 Followers 135 Following

The Florida Museum of Natural History inspires people to care about life on Earth. Located on the University of Florida campus, we are also the state museum.

a small preserved fish specimen is somewhat wrinkled and orange brown with a prominent head and mouth, a very short body, and a tail that is just a brief folded pale fan. It looks like it had a short appendage on the tip of its snout. It is photographed on a gray background next to a ruler
Fragment of stony coral with numerous small holes, scale indicates 15 millimeter size.
a black butterfly with yellow bands on its elaborately tailed black wings is trying to land on a large frond of a purple flower with a park or garden out of focus in the background
Man in blue shirt holding a large fish and a tray of smaller fish, with a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission vehicle behind him.
looking down into a dirty white bucket that has about two inches of clear water in it and several dark salamanders, tadpoles and small fish are mostly submerged
Underwater view of a zebra shark swimming near a coral reef. The shark has a grey body covered in dark spots, resembling zebra stripes. Several smaller, yellow fish swim around the shark and near rocky formations on the seabed. The lighting hints at this being in a large aquarium.
a watercolor painting on dark ivory paper shows a thin stem of a plant with tufts of leaves at intervals and a few narrow branches arching outwards to support sprays of tiny buds, of which some are blooming into small tasseled purple flowers
on the left is a large cone shaped snail shell in sandy pink and rust brown colors. In the middle is a smaller and more rounded snail shell in softer coloring. On the right is a small pile of much smaller snail shells with dark brown swirls against creamy white bodies.
a grid of photos of different styles and shapes of woven baskets from bowls to long tubes to classic vase shapes, some with colorful thread as binding
Two specimens of an almond-shaped fish with shiny specking on their golden scales are photographed against a gray background. The top fish slightly larger with a more dramatic coloration, while the bottom fish seems smaller and more subdued. Both specimens have a large eye in a pointed face and serrated fins ahead of lobed fins. A logo for the Florida Museum is in the lower left corner.
Zebra shark swimming in an aquarium, displaying distinctive dark spots and stripes on a light-colored body.
a brightly back-lit image of what looks like a five petalled flower with pink hair on its petals next to a small glassy oblong tube with short golden hairs lining one end. There is a small inset showing a tiny glass dish near labels which indicates this could be magnified biological items from insects of some kind
Two views of a very pointy snail shell with a distinct set of ridges that run around the spiral from the small opening at the base. There is some sand colored residue on part of it and it is slightly aged looking as if it's a fossil
Two butterflies resting on mossy ground. One has bold black and white striped wings, the other is brown.
Hands holding a small, aged ceramic bowl against a black background.
a painting of an underwater landscape with fishes, sharks and rays swimming above a sandy coral and sea grass covered ocean floor
Four people are working outdoors, planting small seedlings. One person in the foreground is digging a hole with a shovel, wearing a light-colored shirt and hat. A vehicle with the trunk open is visible nearby, and three other people are planting sprouts further down a grassy field alongside a road. A wire fence separates the field from a line of trees.
Two specimens of an almond-shaped fish with striking irregular dark mottled coloring are photographed against a gray background. The top fish slightly larger with a more dramatic light and dark coloration, while the bottom fish seems smaller and more subdued dark and darker coloring. Both specimens have a large eye in a pointed face and serrated fins ahead of lobed fins. A logo for the Florida Museum is in the lower left corner.
Herbarium sheet displaying pressed specimens of narrow twigs with small elongated leaves and clusters of orange tubular flowers, with annotations detailing collection information and plant identification.
Museum storage room filled with shelves of jars containing preserved specimens, with two women examining them.
A dragonfly rests on a blue textured surface, illuminated by a bright light source creating a strong shadow. A hand holds a smartphone displaying a photo of the same dragonfly, capturing the scene from a lower perspective.
a wide view of a steep mountain valley that is misty and green under lacy clouds in the distance and covered in trees in the near view with sunlight pouring across it from the right with a vivid glow against an empty blue sky
Terraced rice paddies cascade down a steep hillside. The paddies are filled with water, creating a layered, reflective pattern. Some paddies are green with growing rice, while others are brown or reddish-brown. Sparse trees dot the landscape both along the terraces and at the base of the hill.
Stylized woodpecker drawing on weathered wood. The drawing, sketched in dark lines, depicts a woodpecker with a curled neck and detailed feather patterns. It’s rendered on a fragmented piece of rough-hewn, dark brown wood with prominent grain and cracks.
Herbarium sheet displaying pressed specimens of Sarracenia rosea, a large and elaborate pitcher plant including roots and numerous leaves as well as one flower, with annotations detailing collection information and plant identification.
a section of lower jaw bone with sharp molars in place and discolored as if it is a fossil, against a black background next to a short ruler
a small rectangle of broken ceramic shows what could be a stylized leaf and vine curls against a white background with a brown band along one edge
a small triangular cream colored butterfly has fine geometric patterns on its wings in black and it is at rest on a mossy surface next to a plain brown butterfly that looks similar in shape
Stack of twelve craft beer cans and one bottle, displaying various brewery labels and designs
a small green hummingbird is sitting in the middle of a fluffy purple flower surrounded by leaves
an illustration of a beachside forest with large and small mammals as well as a snake and toad, with a numbered key to the illustration below it
four specimens of small sand colored mice with cotton showing instead of eyes, shading from a darker light gray at the back to a very pale beige near the front
Group of people in a studio setting observing a clear container with an object inside, some taking photos with phones.
light passes through a processed fish showing its skeletal structure and internal organs in vibrant blues and reds against a white background.
two views of a snail shell with a smooth, pinkish surface and a very flat spiral crown, and a clump of rough dirt filing its opening
Osprey perched on a bare tree branch against a clear blue sky, looking forward.
a turtle has been scanned and its shell is in cross section while the rest of its skeleton is colored with primary colors and numbered as if to match a corresponding anatomy chart
a very small jaw bone of some kind has a row of tiny teeth behind a curved front canine and is a discolored brown with numbers written on it as if it is a fossil specimen
Four natural sponges of varying sizes are displayed against a white background. The sponges are a light tan color and have a textured, porous surface. A logo for the Florida Museum is visible in the lower left corner, indicating these are likely specimens related to marine biology or natural history.
the head of an aquatic turtle is just visible beneath the dark, still water of a pond with its pointed nose and small bulbous eyes just touching the surface
vintage sepia profile portrait of a woman with even features and hair pinned up and topped with a frilly decoration wearing a high necked blouse and dress coat
three fish specimens with very pointed faces and small fins set far back on elongated bodies. They each have black bar markings through their small round eyes and are shades of pale golden gray. The top fish is slightly larger with light spots on its body and the middle has blurry irregular streaks while the smaller bottom one has a pale zigzag down its body over very pale darker marbling marks
two views of a star shaped fossil with large irregular bumps along the edges and a rough surface
Close-up of a dense, textured coral structure. The coral is a reddish-brown color and composed of numerous small, tubular branches that create a complex, branching pattern. The branches have small openings or pores along their length, giving the coral a porous appearance. The background is dark and out of focus.
A man wearing a museum baseball cap and a short-sleeved shirt examines a fossil using a binocular microscope. A name tag on his shirt reads “Jason Bourque, Paleontologist.” He is seated at a workbench with fossils and tools visible in the background.
photos of intricate lines engraved in wood by tiny insects with the text: Can insects create art? Online exhibit with Jiri Hulcr In huge numbers, bark beetles inscribe their life stories onto dead wood. Entire cities are carved out in each tree, cities that flourish one year only to collapse the next year from competition and disease. 00:00:30:12 - 00:00:37:05 Like many human civilizations before ours, each bark beetle generation left intricate traces of their lives behind them. Is it art? It doesn’t matter. It is beautiful, and it lets you peek into a different universe where life pulsates fast and at a tiny scale. Online Exhibit: Bark Beetle Calligraphy floridamuseum.ufl.edu Featuring work by Jiri Hulcr University of Florida UF Forest Entomology Lab UF Professor Forest Entomology
a painting of a watering hole in a sparse forest area with large animals in the water and deer and horses running up the incline away from the water, and a numbered key to the illustration positioned below it reflecting the list in the post
Man wearing sunglasses holding a framed botanical illustration of a plant and moths in a museum.
two golden fish specimens with faint dark bands down their flat oval bodies including a black stripe down their pointed faces through their round eyes. They have short fins nearly the length of their bodies that are serrated near their heads and end with a rounded square shape at the rear near short triangular tail fins. The top is slightly larger and lighter gold while the bottom is mor almond shaped with a darker tone
Close-up photograph of a bee clinging to a thin, vertical stem. The bee has a dark body with yellow and light-brown markings, and its wings are partially extended. The background is blurred green foliage.
a sturdy green caterpillar with rows of small black spots down its body and four odd red knobs protruding from its head is crawling along one of a sprig of leaves and eating it
a painting of a forested landscape scene with early animals that look like deer, rhinos and leopards, and a numbered key to the illustration positioned below it reflecting the list in the linked post
a small green frog under a spotlight is perched on a dark log facing into foliage at night
Five irregular fragments of dark brown pottery marked with irregular grid impressions are arranged on a gray background. A ruler marked in centimeters and inches is at the bottom right for scale
two views of a classically shaped oval arrow head made from pale stone next to small a ruler
a small snake with an iridescent black body and a vibrant orange-red belly is coiled casually on a large green leaf, turned in such a away as to expose a good portion of its bright colorings
A boat with five people on board is moving through choppy water. Three people are actively fishing with nets cast into the ocean. A fourth person stands near a collection of plastic tubs, and the fifth person is seated, observing. The boat displays decals identifying it as belonging to the Florida State University Coastal & Marine Lab.
a small orange caterpillar covered in black barbed spikes is crawling across a soft leaf that has bites out of it as if the caterpillar ate it
Botanical illustration of *Oryza sativa* L., commonly known as rice. The image depicts the plant's various parts, including the root system, leaves, seed heads at different stages, and a cross-section of the seed. Labeled sections show details of the flower, stem, and grain.
two almond shaped fish specimens have short, rounded fins an large eyes next to small mouths. The top has a dark body and shimmery blue scales while the bottom has dark freckles on a more pale body with a somewhat red blush at its gills