La Brea Tar Pits
www.angelciti.com posted in Attractions on January 15th, 2011
When visiting LA you should definitely plan time to stop by the La Brea Tar Pits and Hancock Park which are considered a piece of urban Los Angeles that embraces prehistoric times simultaneously. Tar (or asphalt) has been seeping up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years and over the centuries many of the animals that came to drink the water that often covered the tar fell in, often to be preserved over time. Mammoths, dire wolves, short-faced bear and even the saber-toothed cat are some of the many fossils to be found in the pits; but only one human skeleton (that of a woman dating back to approximately 9000 BP) has been found to date. Along with the animal and human fossils are insect and plant fossilizations as well including pollen grains, raspberry, coastal live oak, and California juniper. As far as etymology is concerned, Brea is Spanish for “tar,” and this naming makes sense since it was a group of Spanish explorers who made the first recorded entry of the tar pits during an expedition in 1769. For those history buffs, the George C. Page Museum (which is part of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County) is built next to the tar pits and not only tells the history of the tar pits but provides specimens collected over time as well. The museum is open from 9:30 to 5:00 daily is admission is 7 (with the exception of the first Tuesday of each month when admission is free).