The La Brea tar pits are considered by many scientists to be the most fascinating place in nature thanks to some of the fossils that people have dug out over the years.
Los Angeles Times reports that the tar pits are being celebrated thanks to their 100-year history of providing us with clues about what the world used to look like. Here are 4 things you should know about the La Brea tar pits.
- George Allan Hancock was the original owner of Rancho La Brea and he was the first person to see what the pit could offer back in 1913. He gave the L.A. county exclusive right to excavate on his property for 2 years and in 1924 he donated 23 acres of the ranch to the county.
- The pits have been active since prehistoric times and the remains of animals that fall inside the pits are naturally preserved which includes dire wolves, sloths and mastodons.
- Among the many tar pit discoveries over the years, perhaps the most fascinating one is the discovery of an adult Columbian mammoth, an animal that lived millions of years ago.
- You can visit the George C. Page Museum in Los Angeles next Monday for free if you want to check out one of the most incredible freaks of nature.