Don’t expect the next “Jurassic Park” reboot to be set in Florida. Dinosaur fossils have never been found in the state, but according to the Florida Museum of Natural History, “Florida has the richest fossil record of vertebrate animals of the eastern United States.”
Other prehistoric creatures roamed the land long before we did, and many of their fossils have been discovered in Polk County due to the area’s rich phosphate mining history. Meet these five interesting species that were exposed by mining in the “Bone Valley.”
Enhydritherium terraenovae | These large otters could average up to 100 pounds, thanks to a mostly shellfish diet. Their fossils were discovered in 1985, but the species lived up to 6.5 million years ago.
Carcharocles megalodon | The subject of many a B-movie, the megalodon shark species is thought to be the largest fish of all time, with a maximum weight of 143,000+ pounds and length of 58 ft.
Seen here is the Siberian musk deer, native to mountain forests in Northeast Asia.
Photo by Erik Adamsson via Wikimedia Commons
Moschidae | Relatives of these musk deer are still alive today in Asia, but you won’t find any 10-point bucks — they have small tusks instead of antlers.
Rhizosmilodon fiteae | This one’s for the cat people. This sabre-toothed species has only been located in Florida, where it likely hunted for deer and small horses. They were around 165 pounds, about the size of a jaguar.
This three-toed horse was perfectly preserved by volcanic ash in Nebraska.
Photo by James St. John via Wikimedia Commons
Cormohipparion ingenuum | Before there was Secretariat, there was this long-snouted species, the first horse named from Florida. It called much of Central Florida home, as well as Texas.
Fossil fanatics can dig deeper into Polk County’s prehistoric past at the Mulberry Phosphate Museum, where you’ll find remnants of marine animals, reptiles, and mammals.
