Self Guided Tour (1)

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1150L

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Anthropology

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Apr 3, 2024

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Lab 1: 1. Notice the Dioramas depicting life at specific times through geologic history. When are the two mass extinctions? The two mass extinctions are the Devonian Period and the Ordovician Period. 2. Take note of the drill cores as you come around the corner. What were the oldest vertebrates and invertebrate fossils found in Florida? Where were they found? How old are they? The oldest vertebrate fossils found in Florida were the Sea Turtle, found 100 million years ago from the Mesozoic times. The oldest invertebrate fossils found in Florida were the many marine invertebrates, found 34 to 24 million years ago. 3. What did Florida look like during the Eocene? (describe the environment and sketch a map of Florida and adjacent areas below). Was Florida deeply underwater or shallow? What kinds of Eocene fossils have been found? What do these fossils tell us about the Eocene? Florida during the Eocene wads all underwater. Florida was deep under the water still and was not to be seen for another millions of years. The sea levels were so high that there was no land and only ocean animals. These animals were sharks and primitive whales. These fossils tell us that there was very little competition between animals. 4. What did Florida look like during the Oligocene? (describe the environment and sketch a map of Florida and adjacent areas below). Was Florida deeply underwater,

shallow, or exposed above sea level? What kinds of Oligocene fossils have been found and what are their significance? Compare the marine invertebrate fossil records between the Eocene and the Oligocene. Do you notice any major differences? In the Oligocene part of Florida was finally out of the water. However, it was only a small portion that was. Florida became cooler and dryer and started to have land dwellers. Fossils from turtles, pig-like beasts, and manatees have been found. This means the animals have started evolving to their environment therein. There’s not much difference between the Eoocene invertebrates and the Oligocene Inveribrates except their amount of development to land. 5. What did Florida look like during the Miocene? (describe the environment and sketch a map of Florida and adjacent areas below). Was Florida deeply underwater, shallow, or exposed above sea level? What kinds of Miocene fossils have been found and what are their significance? During the Miocene Florida was colder, dryer, and less seasonal. Many grassland savannas and sinkholes were starting to form. Florida was more out of the water as sea levels fell once again. Fossils such as megaton sharks and giant tortoises were found at that time. These were important because it illustrates the evolution of the animals from the Eocene to the Miocene.

6. What did Florida look like during the Pliocene? (describe the environment and sketch a map of Florida and adjacent areas below). Was Florida deeply underwater, shallow, or exposed above sea level? What kinds of Pliocene fossils have been found and what are their significance? During the Pliocene there was a new seasonal extreme that would soon signify the ice age. Sea levels again dropped exposing almost off of Florida we see today. A new flightless bird named Titanic was found and was one of the most dominant carnivores in Florida. During the Pilocene there were many mass extinctions and many new species.

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7. Next to the Giant Ground Sloth skeleton there is a large replica of a rock outcrop. This is meant to simulate the stratigraphic layers observed in South Florida’s Tamiami Limestone. You will observe different biofacies through time. Each layer formed under different conditions (e.g., climate, sea-level, current, nutrient-loading, etc). Describe each layer below and hypothesize under what conditions the layer was deposited based on fossil assemblage and your understanding of geologic uniformitarianism. The first layer on this wall was sand. The sand was most likely deposited by wind and water on top of the shell beds as sea levels fell over time. The second layer on the wall mainly consists of fossils of large oysters. These oysters lived close together near the shore and were therefore fossilized by the sand on top. The next layer is comprised of beds of marine mussels. Since these muscles were found in a life position they were being rapidly covered with sediment. The following level contains skeletons of an extinct cormorant. This and the fossils of many fish indicate that a lethal red tide occurred 2 million years ago. The 5th layer is of green clay. Most likely a sediment that was on the ground or ocean floor at some point. The next layer contains the remains of hundreds of species of subtropical and marine organisms. The organisms indicate a near-shore environment with many different habitats. Meaning that many things could have covered them up such as sand, mud, sea grass, and, mangroves. The next layer is all worm-shells. This was a snail that would build extensive reefs and it was composed of yet again of many habitats. The final layer is made of shells coming from the scallop. marine snails and barnacle species. It also has fossils such as whales, walruses, and seals. These animals indicate a cooler and wetter climate than Florida today. 8. What did Florida look like during the Pleistocene? (describe the environment and sketch a map of Florida and adjacent areas below). Was Florida deeply underwater, shallow, or exposed above sea level? What kinds of Pleistocene fossils have been found and what are their significance? During the Pleistocene, Florida looked most similar to today. The unaltered parts of north Florida today are what it would have looked like during the Pleistocene many years ago. Florida was no longer underwater either. New species came about such as mammoths. Today fossils have been found in every county in Florida.

9. Compare the marine invertebrate fossil records between the Pleistocene and the Pliocene. Do you notice any major differences? The differences between the invertebrate fossil record between the two time periods we mostly size and habitat. A mammoth was drastically different than a manatee or marine fish. Therefore, since they were different animals they were suited for different climates. 10. What is the earliest evidence for human activity in Florida? The earliest evidence of human activity in Florida was a Native American tribe called the Paleoindians. This was about 14,000 years ago. 11. If you had to live in Florida during another Epoch, which would you choose and why? You might need a houseboat. I would honestly choose the Pleistocene because it is the most similar to us right now. I would have liked to see the first type of human civilization and how they worked with the land around them. I also believe the animals around at the time were the coolest and least threatening.

Self Guided Tour (1)

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