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Encyclopedia > George C. Page Museum
La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles County's Miracle Mile District. The model animals amuse tourists.
La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles County's Miracle Mile District. The model animals amuse tourists.

The La Brea Tar Pits (or Rancho La Brea Tar Pits) are a famous cluster of tar pits located in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles, California; here buried asphalt seeps to the surface from the extensive petroleum deposits below the surface of the Los Angeles Basin. It is best known for the large number of mammal fossils from the last ice age which have been found there, but fossilized insects and plants, even pollen grains, help fill out a picture of the cooler, moister climate of Los Angeles during the glacial age. Such microfossils are retrieved from their matrix of asphalt and sandy clay by washing with a solvent to remove the petroleum, then picking through the remains under a high-powered lens. The George C. Page Museum, part of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, presents these discoveries. Of the 100+ pits, one (Pit 91) continues to be regularly excavated for two months each summer. Download high resolution version (1197x1015, 36 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1197x1015, 36 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A tar pit, or more properly asphalt pit, is a geological occurrence where subterranean bitumen leaks to the surface, creating a large puddle, pit, or lake of asphalt. ... The Miracle Mile is lined by many high-rise buildings. ... The City of Los Angeles (from Spanish; Los Ángeles) is the second-largest city in the United States in terms of population, as well as one of the worlds most important economic, cultural, and entertainment centers. ... The term asphalt is often used as an abbreviation for asphalt concrete. ... Nodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and oleum – oil), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. ... The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the peninsular and transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles. ... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... A fossil Ammonite Fossils are the mineralized remains of animals or plants or other traces such as footprints. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... For other uses of the term, see Fossil (disambiguation) Fossils are the mineralized remains of animals or plants or other artifacts such as footprints. ... The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County opened in Exposition Park in 1913 as the Museum of History, Science, and Art. ...


Brea is Spanish for "tar", "The La Brea Tar Pits" being a redundant "The The Tar Tar Pits". The 'tar' pits were used as a source of asphalt (for use as low-grade fuel and for waterproofing and insulation) by early settlers of the Los Angeles area. The bones were taken for the remains of unlucky pronghorns or local cattle that had become mired. Binomial name Antilocapra americana Ord, 1815 Subspecies The pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) is the only surviving member of the family Antilocapridae, and the fastest land animal in North America running at speeds of 54 mph (90 km/h). ...


Among the prehistoric species associated with the La Brea Tar Pits are mammoths, dire wolves, short-faced bears, ground sloths, and the state fossil of California, the saber-toothed cat, Smilodon californicus. Much of the early work in identifying species were performed in the early 20th century by John C. Merriam of the University of California. Species Mammuthus columbi Columbian mammoth Mammuthus exilis Pygmy mammoth Mammuthus jeffersonii Jeffersonian mammoth Mammuthus meridionalis Mammuthus primigenius Wooly mammoth A mammoth is any of a number of an extinct genus of elephant, often with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair. ... [[{{{diversity_link}}}|Diversity]] {{{diversity}}} Binomial name Canis dirus Leidy, 1858 Trinomial name {{{trinomial}}} Type Species {{{type_species}}} {{{subdivision_ranks}}} {{{subdivision}}} [[Image:{{{range_map}}}|{{{range_map_width}}}|]] Synonyms {{{synonyms}}} The Dire Wolf (Canis dirus) is an extinct member of the genus Canis (which contains the wolves, Coyote, jackals, and the Domestic Dog), and was most common in... Arctodus, also known as the Short-Faced Bear, is a genus of extinct bear. ... Families Rathymotheriidae Scelidotheriidae Mylodontidae Orophodontidae Megalonychidae Megatheriidae Ground sloths are extinct edentate (Order Xenarthra) mammals that are believed to be relatives of tree sloths and three-toed sloths. ... Though every state in the United States has a State Bird and a State Flower, not every state in the United States has a State Fossil. ... State nickname: The Golden State Official languages English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 4. ... Binomial name Smilodon californicus Bovard, 1907 Smilodon californicus (Smilodon of California) is a machairodontin saber-toothed cat. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... John Campbell Merriam (October 20, 1869 - October 30, 1945) was an American paleontologist. ... The University of California (UC) is a public university system within the State of California. ...


Radiometric dating of preserved wood and bones has given an age of 38,000 years for the oldest known material from the La Brea seeps, and they are still ensnaring organisms today. Radiometric dating is a technique used to date materials based on a knowledge of the decay rates of naturally occurring isotopes, and the current abundances. ...


Rancho La Brea is the most famous, but there are two other asphalt pits with fossils in southern California: in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County and McKittrick, in Kern County. There are other fossil-bearing asphalt deposits in Texas, Peru, Trinidad, Iran, Russia and Poland. State nickname: The Golden State Official languages English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 4. ... Carpinteria is a city located in Santa Barbara County, California. ... Location in the state of California Formed 1850 Seat Santa Barbara Area  - Total  - Water 9,814 km² (3,789 mi²) 2,725 km² (1,052 mi²) 27. ... McKittrick is a census-designated place located in Kern County, California. ... Kern County is a county located in the southern Central Valley of California. ... ... National motto: Together we aspire, together we achieve Official language English Capital Port-of-Spain President George Maxwell Richards Prime Minister Patrick Manning Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 163rd 5,128 km² Negligible Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 151st 1,262,366 215/km² HDI (2003) 0. ...


For other rich deposits of fossils, see Lagerstätten. Lagerstätten (German, singular: Lagerstätte, literally: place(s) of storage or resting place(s)) are sedimentary deposits that exhibit extraordinary fossil richness or completeness. ...

Contents


La Brea Animals & Plants

Mammals

Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... Trinomial name Panthera leo atrox (Leidy, 1853) The American lion, also known as the North American or American cave lion, is an extinct feline known from fossils. ... Binomial name Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777) The Bobcat (Lynx rufus, or Felis rufus) is a small wild cat indigenous to North America. ... Capromeryx minor was a species of pronghorn antelope discovered in the La Brea tar pits of Cailfornia. ... The Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus Columbi) is an extinct sub-species of elephant that inhabited the Great Plain of North America between 100,000 and 14,000 years ago. ... A Cougar is: an animal, the Puma a helicopter type, the Eurocopter Cougar, with the civilian counterpart called Eurocopter Super Puma an armored military vehicle, the Cougar Hardened Engineer Vehicle, HEV [1] an armored fighting vehicle used by Canadian military, AVGP Cougar an alcoholic drink cougar/coug (2) (slang) an... Binomial name Canis latrans Say, 1823 The coyote (Canis latrans, meaning barking dog, also prairie wolf[1]) is a member of the Canidae (the dog family) and a relative of the domestic dog. ... [[{{{diversity_link}}}|Diversity]] {{{diversity}}} Binomial name Canis dirus Leidy, 1858 Trinomial name {{{trinomial}}} Type Species {{{type_species}}} {{{subdivision_ranks}}} {{{subdivision}}} [[Image:{{{range_map}}}|{{{range_map_width}}}|]] Synonyms {{{synonyms}}} The Dire Wolf (Canis dirus) is an extinct member of the genus Canis (which contains the wolves, Coyote, jackals, and the Domestic Dog), and was most common in... Species B. bison B. bonasus B. priscus A North American bison Bison is a taxonomic genus containing six species of large even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. ... Binomial name Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758) The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large member of the cat family found primarily in the warm regions of the Americas. ... Binomial name Lama glama (Linnaeus, 1758) The llama (Lama glama) is a large camelid that originated in North America and then later on moved on to South America. ... Species Tayassu tajacu Tayassu pecari Catagonus wagneri The peccary (also known by its Spanish name, javelina or pecarí) is a medium-sized mammal of the family Tayassuidae. ... Type species Ursus lotor Linnaeus, 1758 Species Procyon cancrivorus Procyon insularis Procyon lotor Raccoons are mammals native to the Americas in the genus Procyon of the Procyonidae family. ... The term saber-toothed cat describes numerous cat-like species that lived during various parts of the Cenozoic and evolved their saber-toothed characteristics entirely independently. ... Genera Conepatus Mydaus Mephitis Spilogale Skunks are medium-sized mammals with black-and-white-fur belonging to the family Mephitidae and the order Carnivora. ... Species Tapirus bairdii Tapirus indicus Tapirus pinchaque Tapirus terrestris Tapirus yanivicus The tapirs are large, browsing animals, roughly pig-like in shape but with a short, prehensile trunk. ... Alternate uses: Weasel (disambiguation) Species Mustela africana Mustela altaica Mustela erminea Mustela eversmannii Mustela felipei Mustela frenata Mustela kathiah Mustela lutreola Mustela lutreolina Mustela nigripes Mustela nivalis Mustela nudipes Mustela putorius Mustela sibirica Mustela strigidorsa Mustela vison Weasels are mammals in the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the ten modern species of the genus Equus. ...

Birds

Orders Many - see section below. ... Species Vultur gryphus Gymnogyps californianus Note that Condor is the NATO reporting name for the Russian/Soviet Antonov An-124 transport aircraft. ... Genera Several, see below. ... Species About 37; see text. ... Species Argentavis magnificens Argentavis magnificens is an extinct bird from the late Miocene (23 - 5 million years before present) of South America. ... A Nubian Vulture Vultures are scavenging birds, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals. ...

Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fish

Orders  Crocodilia - Crocodilians  Rhynchocephalia - Tuataras  Squamata   Suborder Sauria- Lizards   Suborder Serpentes - Snakes   Suborder Amphisbaenia - Worm lizards Testudines - Turtles Superorder Dinosauria  Saurischia  Ornithischia Reptiles are tetrapods, and also are amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane. ... Orders Subclass Labyrinthodontia - extinct Subclass Lepospondyli - extinct Subclass Lissamphibia   Anura   Caudata   Gymnophiona Amphibians (class Amphibia) are a taxon of animals that include all tetrapods (four-legged vertebrates) that do not have amniotic eggs. ... Groups Conodonta Hyperoartia Petromyzontidae (lampreys) Pteraspidomorphi (early jawless fish) Thelodonti Anaspida Cephalaspidomorphi (early jawless fish) Galeaspida Pituriaspida Osteostraci Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) Placodermi Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) Acanthodii Osteichthyes (bony fish) Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish) Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) Actinistia (coelacanths) Dipnoi (lungfish) A fish is a poikilothermic (cold-blooded) water-dwelling... Species Many; see text. ... The Gopher Snake is a large, non-poisonous snake, of the Genus Pituophis, indigenous to North America. ... Species Lampropeltis alterna Lampropeltis calligaster Lampropeltis getula Lampropeltis mexicana Lampropeltis pyromelana Lampropeltis ruthveni Lampropeltis triangulum Lampropeltis zonata The genus Lampropeltis of colubrid snakes includes the King snakes and also the milk snake. ... Binomial name Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792 The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, a. ... Genera Crotalus (24 species) Sistrurus (3 species) Species 27, including: - Sidewinder - Massasauga Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous New World snakes, genera Crotalus and Sistrurus, which have a small noise-making jointed rattle on their tails. ... Suborders Cryptobranchoidea Salamandroidea Sirenoidea Salamander is the common name applied to approximately 500 amphibian vertebrates with slender bodies, short legs, and long tails (order Caudata or Urodela). ... Genera See text. ... Genera Ansonia Atelopus Bufo Capensibufo Crepidophryne Dendrophryniscus Didynamipus Frostius Laurentophryne Leptophryne Melanophryniscus Mertensophryne Nectophryne Nectophrynoides Nimbaphrynoides Oreophrynella Osornophryne Pedostibes Pelophryne Peltophryne Pseudobufo Rhamphophryne Werneria Wolterstorffina The true toads are amphibians in the Bufonidae family. ...

Invertebrates

Invertebrate is a term coined by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck to describe any animal without a spinal column. ... As defined by entomologists, a fly (plural flies) is any species of insect of the order Diptera, some of which can land on food and transmit bacteria to humans. ... Families Superfamily: Proscopioidea Proscopiidae Superfamily: Eumastacoidea Eumastacidae Thericleidae Superfamily: Xyronotoidea Tanaoceridae Xyrotonotidae Superfamily: Pampagoidea Pamphagidae Superfamily: Pyrgomorphoidea Pyrgomorphidae Superfamily: Trigonopteryguidea Borneancrididae Trigonopterygidae Superfamily: Acridoidea Acrididae Cyrtacanthacridinae Romaleidae Superfamily: Tetrigoidea Batrachideidae Tetrigidae Superfamily: Tridactyloidea Tridactylidae Ripipterygidae Superfamily: Cylindrichaetoidea Cylindrichaetidea Unknown: Charilaidae Dericorythidae Euschmidtiidae Lathiceridae Lentulidae Lithidiidae Ommexechidae Pneumoridae Pyrgacrididae Tridactylidae Tristiridae... Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See the classification section for families. ... Families Mastotermitidae Kalotermitidae Termopsidae Hodotermitidae Rhinotermitidae Serritermitidae Termitidae A termite (also known as a white ant) is any member of the order Isoptera, a group of social insects that eat wood and other cellulose-rich vegetable matter. ... Families Suborder Anomopoda Daphniidae Moinidae Bosminidae Macrothricidae Chydoridae Suborder Ctenopoda Sididae Holopedidae Suborder Onychopoda Polyphemidae Cercopagidae Podonidae Suborder Haplopoda Leptodoridae Daphnia are members of the order Cladocera. ...

Plants

Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern... Binomial name Juniperus californica Carr. ... Binomial name Quercus agrifolia The Coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia, also called the California live oak, is an evergeen oak, highly variable and often shrubby, found in the coastal regions of southwestern North America from Mendocino County, California south to northern Baja California in Mexico. ... Binomial name Toxicodendron diversilobum Western poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum or, previously, Rhus diversiloba) is found only on the Pacific Coast of the United States and of Canada. ... Species See text Ragweeds (Ambrosia) is a genus of flowering plants from the sunflower family (Asteraceae). ... Binomial name Rubus idaeus L. The Raspberry or Red Raspberry, (Rubus idaeus) is a plant that produces a tart, sweet, red composite fruit (not a true berry) in late summer or early autumn. ... Redcedar is an alternative name for two North American species in the cypress family Cupressaceae: Eastern Redcedar or Eastern Juniper (Juniperus virginiana) Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata) It is also the name of an Australian species in the mahogany family Meliaceae: Australian Redcedar (Toona australis) Neither is a true Cedar (Cedrus... Redwood is a name used for several species of trees with wood with a red or reddish colour; see each species for individual details. ... Binomial name Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ... Sycamore is a name applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. ... Species See text Thistles are perennial flowering plants of the genus Cirsium. ... Species See text The walnuts (genus Juglans) are plants in the walnut family Juglandaceae. ...

La Brea in fiction

  • The tar pits, specifically the pond mammoth diorama off Wilshire Boulevard, were the place in which a volcano erupted spewing hot lava down Los Angeles streets in the 1997 film Volcano. (This is pseudo-scientific fantasy.)
  • The pits were also featured in the final scene of the movie Miracle Mile, as well as several other movies representative of Los Angeles.
  • In Last Action Hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger falls into the tarpits and easily wipes himself clean, prompting the kid to point out that he (Arnold) is a character in a movie and not in the 'real' world.
  • The tar pits are also featured in a key scene in "Alan Smithee's" Burn Hollywood Burn.
  • The episode "That's Lobstertainment!" of Futurama depicts an animated version of the tar pits.
  • In The Two Jakes a scene takes place at the La Brea Tar Pits.
  • Hidden underneath the museum at the La Brea Tar Pits is the secret base of the heroes of Brian K. Vaughan's comic book Runaways.
  • In Sin City, the tar pits in the fictional location of Basin City feature life-size model dinosaurs.

Eruption redirects here. ... Look up lava, Aa, and pahoehoe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Volcano DVD cover Volcano is an action drama of 1997. ... A pseudoscience is any body of knowledge purported to be scientific or supported by science but which fails to comply with the scientific method. ... Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ... Miracle Mile is a 1988 thriller film directed by Steve de Jarnatt and starring Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... â–¶ (help· info) (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American actor, Republican politician, and bodybuilder, currently serving as the 38th Governor of California. ... Alan Smithee, Allen Smithee, and Adam Smithee are pseudonyms used between 1968 and 1999 by Hollywood film directors who wanted to be dissociated from a film for which they no longer wanted credit. ... An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn (though the onscreen title is simply Burn Hollywood Burn) was made in 1997 and released in 1998. ... This is a list of episodes of Futurama episodes in broadcast order, from broadcast season 3. ... Futurama is an animated United States cartoon series (March 28, 1999-2003) created by Matt Groening (who also created The Simpsons). ... The Two Jakes is the sequel to the 1974 movie Chinatown. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Runaways is an ongoing comic book series, created and written by Brian K. Vaughan, ilustrated by Adrian Alphona, and published monthly by Marvel Comics. ... Sin City is a 2005 neo-noir film based on the graphic novels of the same name, directed by Robert Rodriguez. ... Basin City - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Orders Saurischia    Sauropodomorpha    Theropoda Ornithischia Dinosaurs are giant reptiles that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for most of their 165-million year existence. ...

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