If you met Albert the Alligator 45 years ago, you probably wouldn’t want to give him a hug or a high five.
That’s because up until 1970, UF had live mascots, real alligators with razor sharp teeth and claws that were kept in a pen at the base of Century Tower, said UF spokesman Steve Orlando.
The university would never be able to get away with that now, Orlando said.
All that remains of UF’s live mascots is a skull, which can now be seen at the Florida Museum of Natural History’s new permanent exhibit, “Exploring Our World.”
“I didn’t know that UF actually used to have live mascots,” said Alex Craig, a nurse at North Florida Regional Medical Center, as he glanced at a picture of three women holding Albert on a leash. “He looked kind of fat, so obviously they were overfeeding him.”
Albert’s skull, however, is just one of the many objects on display at the exhibit. Inside the discovery drawers, which are located on the right when you enter, visitors can find the jaw of a sandbar shark, the carcass of an armadillo and the skull of a Florida panther, among other items.
“Exploring Our World” showcases different research initiatives led by UF and the Florida Museum of Natural History. It displays some of the museum’s earliest and latest collections as well as research videos produced by UF students. The exhibit also highlights the role these discoveries play in deepening our understanding of the world.
Since it is a permanent exhibit, the content will be updated monthly to quarterly, said Dale Johnson, the museum’s project manager.
“We do try to feature stories that are interesting to our visitors, but also provide a wide breadth of topics to represent the wide breadth of research at UF,” Johnson said.
The current exhibit is an expansion of an old exhibit called “The Library of Life.” It will continue to grow with the addition of a new, 2,000-square-foot discovery zone for children 8 years old and younger and their families. The discovery room is expected to open at the end of next year, Johnson said.
“This exhibit just allows us to show off as well, because a lot of people don’t know that we’re one of the top five museums in the country,” said Kaitlin Gardiner, the marketing and public relations coordinator at the museum.
The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission to the exhibit is free for all visitors.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 7/16/15]
Pictured is the new permanent exhibit at the Florida Museum of Natural History titled “Exploring Our World.” The exhibit features different research initiatives led by UF and the museum over the years. Its content will be updated monthly to quarterly.
