Florida's history lies buried beneath a few feet of sand. That history is in the form of fossils of every description that have been deposited and then exposed over the course of the last 40 million years. Some of the most abundant and interesting fossils to be found in Florida are those of mollusks or seashells. It is not surprising that collecting seashells is a popular pastime in Florida, given the many miles of beautiful beaches and the variety and abundance of shells that can be found there. However, the number and diversity of Florida's fossil mollusks are even greater than that of living shells.