Florida Alligator Skull Featured in Exhibit

American alligator skull

(Press Release) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Opening this Thursday, June 18th, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, “From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritage” is a groundbreaking new exhibition commemorating America’s 250th anniversary through more than 600 rare objects and specimens representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories. Drawn from the museum’s collection of more than 148 million artifacts and specimens, the 5,000-square-foot exhibition explores the people, landscapes, discoveries, traditions, and defining moments that have shaped the United States across millions of years of natural and cultural history. Many of the objects on display have rarely or never before been exhibited publicly.

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Representing Florida in the exhibition is an American alligator skull, one of 23 objects from the state featured in the From These Lands exhibition. Each state, district and territory has selected organisms and minerals that represent its  character. These state symbols can be found throughout the museum’s collections. Florida’s state reptile, the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), is an iconic species found throughout the region’s wetlands. This juvenile skull offers a glimpse of an animal that can grow much larger as an adult. Appearing in the fossil record over 13 million years ago, American alligators now live in freshwater habitats throughout North America. As nocturnal carnivores, these reptiles glide through dark waters feeding on fish and other animals.

The exhibition highlights the unique natural, cultural, scientific, and historical contributions connected to Florida and is expected to be viewed by millions of visitors from around the world during its multi-year engagement in Washington, D.C.

“This exhibition brings the entire country into one gallery,” said Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. “As the country marks its 250th anniversary, ‘From These Lands’ presents an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our landscapes, the depth of our history and the connections that link people and the natural world across borders.”
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