Digital Specimens

In a collaboration with the University of South Florida Digital Heritage & Humanities Collections, specimens from the invertebrate collection have been selected for 3-D scanning. This technology can help make specimens and information about them more widely accessible to students, teachers, and researchers.

Dusky Shark Jaw

The Dusky Shark is a generalist predator found in tropical and warm-temperate waters throughout the world.

Below: one of FWRI's Dusky Shark jaw specimens scanned by University of South Florida Libraries on Sketchfab

Peacock Flounder

Early in the life of a flatfish, one eye migrates to the other side of the head.

Below: Peacock Flounder by University of South Florida Libraries on Sketchfab

Lightning Whelk

These large snails are unusual for their left-handed coiling.

Below: Busycon sinistrum (Lightning whelk) by University of South Florida Libraries on Sketchfab

Giant Isopod

Although these are related to the small pillbugs you may find in a garden, these deep sea animals are often more than a foot long.

Below: Bathynomus giganteus (Giant isopod) on Sketchfab

Cushion Star

Oreaster reticulatus is a large sea star also known as the cushion star. Being an echinoderm, sea stars are closely related to sea urchins, and sea cucumbers.

Below: Oreaster reticulatus (Cushion Star) on Sketchfab

Nurse Shark Jaw

Nurse shark teeth are adapted to gripping and shaking prey to reduce the size of food rather than slicing bites off of larger animals.

Nurse Shark Jaw by University of South Florida Libraries on Sketchfab

Rock Snail

This shell of Vokiesmurex morrisoni shows the thickened ridge around the aperture that is common in the family Muricidae.

Murex Snail by University of South Florida Libraries on Sketchfab

Sea Biscuit

Schizaster orbignyanus has a distinctive depressed valley along the central petaloid that extends from the gonopores to the mouth.

Sea Urchin Skeleton by University of South Florida Libraries on Sketchfab

Echinaster Sentus

Preserved specimens of the genus Echinaster are difficult to identify so one arm of this specimen has been bleached to reveal the diagnostic characters of the internal skeleton.

Echinaster sentus- Sea Star by University of South Florida Libraries on Sketchfab

Long-Spined Sea Biscuit

This species, Plagiobrissus grandis, typically lives buried in up to 5cm of sediment and, in life, has long spines that can reach the surface.

Long-Spined Sea Biscuit by University of South Florida Libraries on Sketchfab

Horse Conch

The Horse Conch Triplofusus giganteus is a very large sea snail that produces the official ‘State Shell’ of Florida.

Horse Conch by University of South Florida Libraries on Sketchfab