NOW, FOSSIL HUNTERS AND DRAMATIC DISCOVERIES HERE IN NORTH FLORIDA. NEWS 4 JAX
ANCHOR VIC MICOLUCCI TAKES US
TO A SPOT ABOUT A TWO-HOUR
DRIVE FROM JACKSONVILLE.
>> REVEALING ANCIENT
CREATURES, BIGGER THAN
ELEPHANTS. THAT ONCE ROAMED
FREELY THROUGH OUR AREA.
>> YOU MIGHT NOT THINK THIS
DIRT ROAD IN LEVY COUNTY,
FLORIDA LEADS YOU TO MUCH.
CHRIS, YOU READ SO THIS IS
LIKE STUFF THAT WE BOTH
DREAMED ABOUT AS BUT DIG A
LITTLE DEEPER.
>> LOOKS LIKE IT’S PART OF THE
PELVIS, BUT THERE’S JUST SO
LITTLE THAT. THEY’RE JUST KIND
OF ALL CRINGE TOGETHER AND
YOU’LL BE BLOWN AWAY. AND
RIGHT NOW YOU’RE TOUCHING
SOMETHING THAT HASN’T BEEN
SEEN HOW MANY MILLIONAIRES?
>> 5 AND A HALF BILLION THAT’S
RIGHT. 5 AND A HALF MILLION
YEARS OLD FOSSILS OF
PREHISTORIC GIANTS.
>> AND THE BIG MYSTERY HAS
BEEN WEARS A TAD. YOU’RE
LOOKING AT INCREDIBLY INTACT
REMAINS OF A GIANT GAAP WITH
YEAR. HAVEN’T HEARD OF IT. IT
WAS HERE IN FLORIDA. YES, I
SAID FLORIDA BEFORE HUMANS. IT
WAS A 10,000 POUND FOR TUSK, A
RELATIVE OF AN ELEPHANT.
>> I’M SURE THEY WERE
FORMIDABLE ANIMALS LIKE A LIKE
A BIG AFRICAN ELEPHANT
>> AND THAT IS JUST THE TIP OF
THE ICEBERG. THAT UNIVERSITY
OF FLORIDA RESEARCHERS. OUR
UNCOVERING AT THIS PIECE OF
PROPERTY ABOUT 45 MINUTES
SOUTHWEST OF GAINESVILLE. THEY
FOUND SABER TOOTH RINUS AND
LAKES ESPECIALISTAS. PLUS WE
HAVE A SKULL.
>> OF A OF A ELEPHANT RELATIVE
THERE WHERE IT’S LOWER JAWS
ARTICULATED WITH THE WITH THE
WITH THE UPPER JUST SO HOW IN
THE WORLD DID THEY DISCOVER
THIS UNDERGROUND TREASURE
TROVE?
>> WELL, IF WE’RE SPLITTING
HAIRS, IT ACTUALLY WASN’T A
PALEONTOLOGIST WHO MADE THE
FIRST FIND LATE. IT WAS YOUR
GRANDDAUGHTER. YEAH SHARES.
SHE’S ALL. SHE WAS 5 AT THE
TIME, I GUESS BECAUSE SHE’S
POR EL CERTAIN LITERALLY TOOK
A 5 YEAR-OLD GIRL TO UNEARTH 5
AND A HALF MILLION YEARS OF
HISTORY. THAT’S PRETTY HER
NAME TIMBER. SHE WAS WALKING
WITH HER MOM AND GRANDMOTHER
ON FAMILY LAND AND PICKED UP
SOME BONES WHICH THEY TURNED
OVER TO UF AND FOSSIL EXPERT
DOCTOR JONATHAN BLOCH.
>> I’M JUST GLAD TO BE PART OF
MY WHOLE FAMILY MEALS.
>> FOR 7 YEARS NOW,
PALEONTOLOGISTS UF STUDENTS
AND HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS
HAVE BEEN HAND DIGGING THIS
SITE.
>> IT’S CALLED MONTBROOK IS
SUPER SPECIAL. I’VE NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING QUITE LIKE IT. IT’S
ACTUALLY ONE OF THE REASONS
WHY MOVED OUT HERE TO FLORIDA
MOVED ACROSS THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY. JUST COME OUT HERE
AND THEY INVITED US TO TAKE
PART.
>> USING SCREWDRIVERS AND
DENTAL TOOLS. I POKED AROUND
JUST A FOSSIL. IT’S A FRAGMENT
LITTLE. DID I KNOW MINUTES
LATER, I’D BE ON TO SOMETHING
BIGGER. OH, WOW. LOOK AT
THAT’S PART OF THE FOOT OF A
JUVENILE GAAP OF FEAR IN WHAT
WAS ONCE A RIVERBED THAT COULD
TAKE DECADES TO UNCOVER THOSE
FOSSILS ARE RELATIVELY EASY TO
COLLECT THE BIG ONES, HOWEVER,
WILL SOON NEED A CRANE AND A
TOW TRUCK TO GET THEM BACK TO
UF. SO FOR PART 2 OF THIS
ADVENTURE, WE’RE TAKING YOU TO
THE LAB ON CAMPUS. IT’S WHERE
THE SPECIMENS ARE PRESERVED.
IF YOU THINK THE IDEA OF
CUTTING YOUR FRONT LAWN WITH
THE PAIR TOENAILS CLIPPERS
SOUNDS PERFECTLY SENSIBLE THAN
HE’S GOT THE RIGHT MENTALITY
TO BE A FOSTER PARENT NOTHING
HERE HAPPENS FAST. SO EVERY
SINGLE DAY IT’S ALL ABOUT
>> UNWRAPPING A CHRISTMAS
PRESENT. THIS IS ACTUALLY
WHERE FOSSILS FROM ALL ACROSS
FLORIDA NOW LIVE.
>> COLLECTIONS MANAGER RACHEL
NERD UCCI SHOWS US ROW AFTER
ROW AFTER ROW OF PREHISTORIC
GEMS. WE’LL BONES LION SKULLS,
MAMMOTH TUSKS. AND WHILE WE
ADMITTEDLY CAME FOR THE GIANT
RELICS LOOKING UNDER THE
MICROSCOPE REVEALS EVEN MORE.
THIS IS USUALLY WHERE THE NEW
SPECIES COME AND HOW DO YOU
KNOW THAT? IT’S A NEW SPECIES.
I MEAN, I’M JUST LOOKING AT
TINY BONES HERE. IT’S BASED ON
HOW IT LOOKS COMPARED TO HOW
THE BONES OF THOSE MODERN
ANIMALS LOOK.
>> MOST OF THE SPECIMENS GOING
TO THE ARCHIVES FOR
GENERATIONS TO COME. BUT SOME
OF THE MORE IMPRESSIVE
FOSSILS.
>> AND UP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
CAMPUS AT THE FLORIDA MUSEUM
OF NATURAL HISTORY HERE,
VISITORS CAN SEE THE MASSIVE
OR SHALL I SAY, MAMMOTH
ANIMALS THAT USED TO WALK THE
SUNSHINE STATE. IMAGINE COMING
FACE TO FACE WITH A GIANT
GROUND. SLOTHS 20 FEET TALL.
WAY BETTER THAN AN ENCOUNTER
WITH WHAT’S CALLED A TERROR
BIRD. AND I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE
THINKING. WHAT ABOUT THE
DINOSAURS? WELL, THEIR BONES
HAVEN’T BEEN DISCOVERED HERE.
AND SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT’S
BECAUSE DURING THEIR TIME ON
EARTH, THE FLORIDA PENINSULA
WAS UNDER WATER. BACK AT THE
MONTBROOK DIG SITE.
>> AND MAYBE ABOUT 30
DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL THEIRS
HERE. THE TEAM FINDS NEW
ANIMALS EVERY WEEK AND THEY
KNOW THEY’RE JUST SCRATCHING
THE SURFACE.
>> AND THEN WE HAVE A BUNCH OF
RIBS HERE. THIS IS ACTUALLY A
VERTEBRA. ONE OF THE ONE OF
THE BACKBONES.
>> THIS RIVERBED LIKELY HAS
MILLIONS MORE BONES
DISCOVERIES THAT COULD TAKE
YEARS DECADES, POTENTIALLY
CENTURIES. WHO KNOWS? MAYBE
YOU THE NEXT VOLUNTEER. WE’LL
FIND SOMETHING WE NEVER EVEN
KNEW EXISTED IN LEVY COUNTY,
FLORIDA WITH PHOTOJOURNALIST
CHRIS O’ROURKE. VIC MICOLUCCI
CHANNEL 4, THE LOCAL STATION.