La Brea Tar Pits

The La Brea Tar Pits are one of the world's most famous fossil localities, located in the heart of Los Angeles. This unique natural history site has been preserving Ice Age fossils for over 40,000 years, making it one of the most important paleontological sites in the world.

The tar pits are actually asphalt seeps that have been bubbling up from the ground for tens of thousands of years. Animals that became trapped in the sticky asphalt were preserved as fossils, creating an extraordinary record of prehistoric life in Southern California.

Today, the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is operated by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, offering visitors a chance to see active excavation sites, view thousands of fossils, and learn about the Ice Age creatures that once roamed the Los Angeles Basin.

The George C. Page Museum, located at the La Brea Tar Pits, houses one of the world's largest and most diverse collections of Ice Age fossils. The museum showcases over one million fossils recovered from the tar pits, including saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, mammoths, and many other extinct species.

Key Exhibits

• Fossil Lab: Watch paleontologists clean and prepare fossils in real-time
• Ice Age Encounters: Interactive exhibits featuring life-sized models of extinct animals
• Project 23: View the ongoing excavation of a massive fossil deposit
• Dire Wolf Wall: See the largest collection of dire wolf skulls in the world
• Mammoth Family: Life-sized models of Columbian mammoths

The La Brea Tar Pits are still actively being excavated, making it one of the few places in the world where you can watch paleontologists at work. The most famous excavation site is Pit 91, which has been continuously excavated since 1969.

Current Excavations

• Pit 91: The longest-running excavation, open to public viewing
• Project 23: A massive fossil deposit discovered during construction of the nearby parking garage
• Lake Pit: The iconic tar pit with bubbling asphalt and life-sized mammoth models

The tar pits have preserved an incredible diversity of Ice Age animals, providing scientists with detailed information about the prehistoric ecosystem of Southern California.

Notable Species

• Saber-toothed Cats: The most famous predators found at La Brea
• Dire Wolves: Over 4,000 individual wolves have been recovered
• Columbian Mammoths: Massive relatives of modern elephants
• American Lions: Larger than modern African lions
• Giant Ground Sloths: Enormous herbivores that stood up to 20 feet tall
• Short-faced Bears: The largest carnivorous land mammals of their time

• Plan for 2-3 hours: There's a lot to see and explore
• Visit on weekdays: Less crowded than weekends
• Check excavation schedule: Paleontologists work Tuesday-Saturday
• Bring a camera: Photography is allowed (no flash in exhibits)
• Combine with other museums: Located near LACMA and other cultural institutions
• Dress comfortably: Some areas are outdoors