Fossil Collection

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FGS staff have collected and preserved thousands of fossil specimens over the past century. Fossils exposed within rocks and sediments at or near the land surface range from 45-million-year-old "sand dollars" to bones and teeth from the "Ice Age" saber-tooth cat. Our in-house collections include a variety of fossilized shells, echinoids and agatized coral, the official state stone of Florida. Our larger fossils include a complete Miocene dugong (sea cow) skeleton, Megalodon teeth and whale and dolphin vertebrae. We also have a full-size replica of an extinct mako shark jaw containing fossil teeth. Terrestrial vertebrate fossils on display include mammoth, mastodon and gomphothere teeth and tusks. Jaws, osteoderms and leg bones from various species are exhibited, as well as the claw core from a sloth.  

Located in Gainesville, the UF/FGS Collection of fossil vertebrates consists of about 22,000 mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish - almost all of which were collected in Florida. In addition to the fossil vertebrate collection, the Florida Museum of Natural History's Invertebrate Paleontology Collection has fully curated 149,467 specimens of invertebrate fossils of mollusks, arthropods, corals, bryozoans, echinoderms and foraminifera. Approximately 50,000 more specimens have yet to be fully curated. Information about these specimens can be found at http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/ip/. At the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee, visitors can view "Herman," a mastodon skeleton recovered by FGS staff in 1930 from the depths of Wakulla Springs. Former State Geologist Herman Gunter wrote about the collection of “Herman” in articles published in Florida Woods and Waters and Florida Highways. 

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If you are interested in collecting fossils in Florida, see our "Florida Fossil Collecting" page for more information concerning fossil types and permitting. Collection viewing is by appointment only. We are open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. (EST). Offices are closed for all state of Florida holidays. 

For more information concerning the FGS fossil collection, please email Edward Chelette, FGSCollections@FloridaDEP.gov, or call 850-245-3121.