The Biohistory of Florida

Florida has an amazing biohistory. Its fossil record reveals that 8-ton ground sloths, giant beavers, and tiny horses once roamed its 66,000 square miles. Its human history is the story of people who arrived some 12,000 years ago after a journey that took them from Asia across the Bering land bridge and then south across the North American continent. Today, Florida is home to historic St. Augustine, the futuristic Kennedy Space Center, and the mysterious Everglades. Hosting a diverse ecology and a rich human history, Florida now faces a tenuous future as its natural resources are depleted, new species of plants, animals and diseases invade, and climate changes loom. This fascinating biohistory, prehistoric to present-day, and with an eye to the future, is told with verve and clarity. The result is a fascinating story of how they all interrelate.