La Brea Tar Pits: Los Angeles, CA

On our first full day in Los Angeles, Matt and I ventured out to the place I was most excited to see: the La Brea Tar Pits. Having first been introduced to them through the cinema marvel that is My Girl 2, I knew I had to visit. It's such a rare treat to see not only fossils and bones from long extinct animals but also to see where they were excavated - particularly when that site is in the middle of a bustling city.

The tar pits began to form 50,000 years ago - nearly 65 million years after the dinosaurs went extinct. As a result, the pits contain the bones of the animals that came after the dinosaurs including those are more familiar to us. For example, this includes saber-toothed cats and mastodons along with birds and smaller mammals.

While the first fossils were discovered in 1913, the George C Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries only opened its doors in 1977. Prior to the museums completion, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles had directed the excavations at the site, with over a million fossils found in the first two years. It was clear that this was a site to be protected and fortunately for us, it's still here today!

As you approach the main entrance, the path takes you past one of the active tar pits. It was amazing to see the tar bubbling around the animal sculptures. You really get the sense of the hidden danger the tar posed and how easy it was for animals to find themselves in trouble.

Inside, the museum has lots of displays of the different animals found in the tar pits. These include full skeletons like the Giant Ground Sloth above and the American mastodons below. I had never heard of an American mastodon before - apparently they were the "last survivor of a primitive group of animals that were ancestors of the elephant" (according to the sign on their display).

In addition to the skeletons, there are also several animatronic displays like the one below. I have to admit, they felt very old school. However, it was nice to see the full animal and the context in which it lived. For example, it was a bit jarring to realize that they lived alongside humans.

The museum has an interesting mix of exhibit styles with some feeling surprisingly modern and artistic (particularly in comparison to the animatronic displays). For example, did you know that dire wolves were real animals and not just a figment of George R R Martin's imagination? This was a really impactful way to present them - it felt a bit like Game of Thrones walking through this exhibit!

Further into the museum, you come across the fossil lab - a working laboratory where researchers and volunteers are actively cleaning items found in the tar pits. I thought this was such a great addition to the museum since it allowed visitors to see the finds as they make their way from the tar pits to the exhibits. We happened to walk past at the same time as a school group and it was lovely seeing how excited the kids were!

I particularly liked the welcome sign with it's #fossilfactoftheweek and a description of the work going on that day. While rodent teeth and jaws might not be the most exciting fossils out there, it's still nice to know they're getting lots of time and attention from the volunteers!

The final portion of the museum is dedicated to the excavations that are still taking place around the site. In particular, the Observation Pit is accessed via a short path from the museum. This structure houses a glimpse of what a fossil deposit looks like as it's excavated by researchers. It's incredible that anyone is able to sift through the items and put everything back together!