Beyond its exhibitions, the Florida Museum of Natural History is one of the most active research museums in the country. Its scientists and curators manage over 40 million specimens and artifacts, making it one of the largest university-based collections in the United States.
The research divisions encompass nearly every branch of natural science—from botany and entomology to vertebrate zoology, paleontology, and molecular evolution. Each department contributes to a greater understanding of life on Earth, both past and present.
The museum’s Florida Program for Shark Research, for example, is internationally recognized for its work on shark ecology and conservation. Its McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity—housed adjacent to Powell Hall—is one of the largest butterfly and moth research facilities in the world, holding millions of specimens and advancing global efforts in taxonomy and species conservation.
Paleontologists associated with the museum have described numerous extinct species and contributed to the study of evolutionary change through fossil evidence. Meanwhile, archaeologists and anthropologists continue to uncover and interpret Florida’s prehistoric past, from early human settlements to the development of complex chiefdoms.
This integration of research and public engagement makes the museum unique. Every display and educational program is informed by the latest scientific discoveries, ensuring that visitors experience not only static exhibits but living science in progress. shutdown123