The first fossil from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles was confirmed in 1875 by geologist William Denton. This first fossil was an ancient saber-toothed cat. In 1924, George Allan Hancock donated 23 acres of his family’s ranch to the County of Los Angeles so that it could become a public park which would protect the tar pits and safeguard the fossils. In 1977, the Page Museum (also known as the Tar Pits Museum) opened to the public.
Today, Rancho La Brea (popularly known as the La Brea Tar Pits) is probably the best-known fossil site in North America, if not the world. Paleontologists have uncovered and identified at least 565 species at this site. Many of these fossils, and the paleontological interpretations of them, are on display in the Page Museum. Shown below are some of the displays showing ancient bears, antelope, and pigs.
Short-Faced Bear
By 800,000 years ago, there were two short-faced bears in North America: the giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) and the lesser short-faced bear (Arctodus pristinus). According to Ian Lange, in his book Ice Age Mammals of North America:
“Their snouts appear short relative to the size of their heads—thus, the name ‘short-faced’ bear. The width of the giant’s skull was 80 percent of the skull’s length. With short faces and wide muzzles, the skulls of the two species resemble that of a big cat.”
The lesser short-faced bear lived in what is now the eastern United States and south into Mexico. This animal became extinct about 20,000 years ago.
The giant short-faced bear lived west of the Mississippi River, ranging from Alaska and Yukon in the north to Mexico in the south. Ian Lange reports:
“At 5.5 feet tall (1.68 meters) and almost 10 feet (3 meters) long, the giant short-faced bear would dwarf the modern grizzly, which measures up to 4 feet (over 1 meter) tall and 9 feet (2.74 meters) long. When standing on their hind feet, the top of their head was more than 11 feet (3.4 meters high).”
At least 30 short-faced bears have been recovered at La Brea. At La Brea, the youngest of these fossils has been dated to about 12,650 years ago. Researchers have found that this bear was carnivorous and the data suggests that it was probably a scavenger, which may have contributed to its extinction.
The Short-Faced Bear (Arctodus simus) was larger than any living North American bear. It was about a foot taller than the grizzly and about twice its weight.
Shown above are the front paws of the Short-Faced Bear.
Shown above is a Short-Faced Bear standing next to the Western Horse.
Another view of the Short-Faced Bear and the Western Horse.
Peccary
The peccary is a pig-like mammal which was in North America by 33 million years ago. The flat-headed peccary (Platygonus compressus) was most common and ranged from New York in the east to California in the west, and from the ice sheets in the north to Mexico in the south. The flat-headed peccary is about the size of the European wild boar and has a shoulder height of about 28 inches. The youngest has been dated to 11,900 years ago.
Shown above is the skull of the flat-headed peccary
Dwarf Pronghorn Antelope
The Dwarf Pronghorn Antelope (Capromeryx minor) is closely related to the pronghorn antelope of western North America. The display in the La Brea Museum focused on how fossil skeletons are assembled and interpreted. According to the Museum display:
“The initial step in reconstruction is to identify each of the animal’s bones and place them in their proper skeleton position. After the skeleton is assembled, the reconstruction of its tissues is added. Muscles leave distinct marks where they attach to bones and a study of these show scientists the size and shape of the extinct animal.”
This species went extinct about 10,000 years ago (some sources indicate 11,000 years ago).
More Paleontology
Paleontology 101: Bison and Camels at La Brea Tar Pits
Paleontology 101: American Mastodons at the La Brea Tar Pits
Paleontology 101: Sloths at La Brea Tar Pits
Paleontology 101: Wolves, Dogs, Cats, and Bears (Photo Diary)
Paleontology 101: Dinosaur Hall (Photo Diary)
Paleontology 101: The Mesozoic--The Age of Dinosaurs (Photo Diary)
Paleontology 101: Ancient North American Elephants