WILDLIFE CONSERVATION THROUGH EDUCATION AND PARTICIPATION Grade Levels: 6-12 Time: 45 Minutes Florida’s Fossil History

Explore the rich prehistoric world of Florida’s unique peninsula. Examine fossils of

animals that once roamed here, and learn how climatic changes have altered its Goal: Provide an biodiversity. introduction to Florida’s history using Curriculum Alignment: fossils and other biofacts. SC.6.E.6.1; SC.7.L.15.1; SC.7.L.15.2; SC.7.L.15.3 ; SC.7.L.17.1; SC.7.L.17.2; SC.7.L.17.3; SC.8.N.4.1; SC.912.L.17.2; SC.912.L.17.3; SC.912.L.17.4; SC.912.L.17.8

Where education and conservation collide! Objectives: This program, presented by Brevard Zoo Education staff, ° Students will name is an enhanced experience of the distinct and unique Keywords: some pre-historic wildlife habitats found at Brevard Zoo. Students delve Competition, animals that lived in Consumer, into the concept through fun, interactive activities, Florida. Decomposer, Era, questions and participatory responses, hands-on animal ° Students will state Epoch, Extinct, Food encounters, and animal meet and greets. Programs are Web, Fossil, History, reasons why dinosaur designed to supplement in-class learning. Depth and fossils can not be found Predation, structure vary depending on grade and age range. in Florida. Prehistoric, Producer ° Students will What is the history of Florida? recognize and explain Fossils are wonderful peninsula. Land animals began conditions of the time. why some of these educational tools. They help us to appear. Examples of The Pliocene Epoch began 5 animals went extinct. decipher what life was like Oligocene animals include million years ago and the during specific periods of time. mesohippus, a small three-toed ° Students will Pleistocene Epoch 1.8 million Fossils also indicate geographic horse, and oreodonts, which years ago. Together, these 2 understand how and climate change. were herbivores that likely epochs encompass a period Florida has changed looked similar to pigs. over time. Florida was underwater. 50 known as the Ice Age. Ice did million years ago, during the The beginning of the Miocene not reach Florida, and many Cenozoic Era, Florida began to Epoch was 24 ½ half million animals found a refuge here. be exposed as the sea receded. years ago. Sea level rose and Many animals we have today Today, fossils are easily found fell with the advent and decline dominated the period: sharks, in Florida’s beach sand and of glaciation and, as a result, rays, manatees, and birds. One river gravel. the land area grew and shrank. large predatory bird, Titanis During dry periods, land walleri, stood 10 feet tall. The The history of Florida can be bridges were created north giant ground sloth, PLANNING YOUR divided into 4 major periods of across the Bering Strait and Eremotherum, lived during this time. The Eocene Epoch began south to Central America. period. At a length of 20 feet, RESERVATION 54 million years ago. At this These bridges led to the the giant ground sloth was the time Florida was still migration of many animals. largest land animal ever to live °Fall and spring fill quickly underwater. Giant sea The giant land tortoise, in Florida. Large size seemed PLEASE REGISTER EARLY creatures dominated the Geochelone, had a shell up to 6 to be the theme for this period. °Groups must register landscape. Basilosaurus, a feet in length. Gavialosuchus, a The dire wolf, Canus dirus, was 2 WEEKS IN ADVANCE snake-like primitive whale that fast-swimming crocodile, 20% larger than today’s gray grew up to 65 feet in length, °Programs require a reached lengths of 20 feet. wolf. There was even a giant was one such creature. There MINIMUM OF 15 PEOPLE There were also rhinoceros, lion, Felix atrox, which was were also primitive sea cows, saber cats, giant ground sloths, 50% larger than any living lion. °Programs are available sea turtles, and eight -foot long and 2 types of vipers. Many of Mastodons, mammoths, and ON AND OFF-SITE marine snakes. these animals’ ancestors exist bison also appeared at this

°Visit our website for The Oligocene Epoch began today in South America and time. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 37.5 million years ago. Parts of Asia but have become extinct °Proper adult supervision Florida became exposed as a in Florida due to a drop in sea REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES chain of islands which then level that led to widespread branched together to form a drought and a change in climate away from the tropical

For more information or to book a program email [email protected] or call 321.254.9453 X219