what kind of fossils are found in the la brea tar pits course hero

Among the prehistoric species associated with the La Brea Tar Pits are Pleistocene mammoths, dire wolves, short-faced bears, American lions, ground sloths, the saber-toothed cat (Smilodon fatalis

). The park is known for producing myriad mammal fossils dating from the last glacial period.

Full Answer

Where are the La Brea Tar pits?

The La Brea tar pits are located in Los Angeles, CA. It is part of the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries in the La Brea neighborhood of...

How do tar pits trap and preserve Animals?

The pits often get covered with leaves and debris, or water. Animals unknowingly walk on the covered pits, which don’t have to be that deep to trap...

What gets trapped in tar pits?

Large animals, like ancient buffalo, mammoths, dire wolves, and American cave lions, as well as plants, insects, rodents, seeds, pollen, and other...

What has been found in the La Brea Tar pits?

Over 1,000,000 bones have been excavated from the tar pits since 1901. Researchers have found remains of saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, bison, Am...

Have human remains ever been found in the La Brea tar pits?

Yes, one set of human remains has been found. It is a partial female skeleton named the La Brea Woman. She was found in 1914 and it is estimated th...

Why do tar pits bubble?

When bacteria within the liquified asphalt release methane gas the gas rises to the surface and creates bubbles. There are over 200 species of bact...

Why is it called the La Brea tar pits?

When the tar pits were given a name, the people living in the area, besides Native Americans, spoke Spanish. The term “la brea” means “the tar” in...

Artist Mark Dion's Deep Dive Into The Tar Pits

What blows this celebrated artist's mind? Microscopic ice age plants and rat poop

Earth's First Giant

The two-meter skull of a humongous new ichthyosaur species, Earth’s first known giant creature, reveals how both the extinct marine reptiles and modern whales became giants.

Talking Tar Pits Turkeys

Dig into some ancient turkey with our Tar Pits team member, Preparator Laura Tewksbury.

What animal was found in a tar pit?

Miraculously, the massive mammuthus columbi found in the pits is almost complete, skeleton-wise. Farrell says this particular animal sheds light on the land he roamed, as well, because the sediments surrounding his bones are sandy clay with freshwater shells in it. (Sweet!) Still, though, the bones are bleeding asphalt — meaning his afterlife was spent both in a stream channel and a tar pit. If that's not cool, we don't know what is.

How many fossils have been pried from the ground beneath the L.A. metropolitan Page Museum since 2007?

This was a tough race, considering 16,000 fossils have been pried from the ground beneath L.A.'s metropolitan Page Museum since 2007. The first round of catalogued bones was just announced Wednesday, and they've all got one thing in common: They're really ridiculously cool-looking.

Where are the La Brea Tar Pits?

La Brea Tar Pits History. Located in the heart of L.A., La Brea Tar Pits are one of the world’s most famous fossil localities, where more than 100 excavations have been made! It’s a fascinating piece of land. Over time, this area has been ancient forest and savannah, ranch land and oilfield, Mexican land grant, and Los Angeles County Park.

How long have tar pits been around?

The Tar Pits provide an incredibly complete record of the different plants and animals that have lived in the L.A. Basin between 50,000 years ago and today.

What was the Rancho La Brea Project?

During the mid twentieth century excavation and data gathering techniques improved, as did our ability to extract knowledge from data and specimens neither noted nor collected by the early excavators. Early collectors concentrated their efforts on the remains of the larger, more spectacular plants and animals and rarely noticed or collected those of smaller organisms and important information pertaining to geology and specimen orientation was not often recorded. To help rectify such collecting biases, the Rancho La Brea Project began on June 13, 1969 by resuming excavation of a major deposit of fossils in Pit 91 that had been discovered 1915. Newly developed techniques, in concurrence with established paleontological and archaeological methods, were employed to intensely sample and carefully record biological and geological data in the resumed excavation.

When was Rancho La Brea discovered?

More than a century passed before the first published mention of the occurrence of extinct fauna at Rancho La Brea was made by William Denton in 1875. Until then, the bones found associated with asphalt deposits were considered to be remains of domestic stock or other animals of the region.

Why was Pit 91 reopened?

1969: Pit 91 is reopened in order to collect intense samples due to original collecting biases (left at 10 ft. in 1915)

Who owned Rancho La Brea?

As Los Angeles grew, the Rancho was eventually subdivided and developed. Its last owner was George Allan Hancock, who recognized the scientific importance of the fossils found in the asphaltic deposits. Hancock Park was created in 1924 when he donated 23 acres of the ranch to the County of Los Angeles with the stipulation that the park be preserved and the fossils properly exhibited.

When were springs of pitch discovered?

The earliest written mention of the "springs of pitch" was in 1769 in the diary of Juan Crespi, a Franciscan friar who recorded the expedition of Gaspar de Portola, the first Spanish Governor of the Californias from 1769–70. More than a century passed before the first published mention of the occurrence of extinct fauna at Rancho La Brea was made ...

1. Not Tar...Asphalt

Asphalt bubbling up from below ground at the La Brea Tar Pits pond. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.

2. Only A Few Inches Deep

Smilodon californicus (Saber-Tooth Cat) and Canis dirus (Dire Wolf) fight over a Mammuthus columbi (Columbian Mammoth) carcass in the La Brea Tar Pits.

3. Asphalt is an Amazing Preservative

La Brea Tar Pits lab worker cleans asphalt from a 40,000-year-old bison bone. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.

4. No Dinosaur Fossils...Ice Age Fossils

Mural portraying Ice Age Los Angeles at La Brea Tar Pits & Museum. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.

5. Carnivores 9, Herbivores 1

Reconstructed sabre-tooth cat fossil skeleton on display at La Brea Tar Pits & Museum. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.

6. Both Mammoths and Mastodons

Mammoth and mastodon fossils at La Brea Tar Pits Museum and Pit 9. Los Angeles Almanac Photos.

7. Lots of Wolves

Wall display of 400 dire wolf skulls, La Brea Tar Pits & Museum. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.