Dew k. Mosi
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Mammoth Skeleton Found in Los Angeles
CALIFORNIA: Researchers are in the process of painstakingly excavating the fossils that were found buried under a parking lot.
They call him "Zed," a nearly intact mammoth just discovered among a rare new prehistoric find at the world famous La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles.
There are so many fossils the excavators use dental picks to dig through the dirt so no one accidentally damages one. Paleontologists believe this discovery could double the collection at the La Brea tar pits by three to four million specimens.
Excavator Andrea Thomer says "we've got the skull of a dira, which is the most common animal we find at Rancho La Brea. One half of a jaw of a dira. And they were found next door as the L.A. County Museum of Art was preparing its new underground parking lot.
But excavating the entire site would have taken decades so huge chunks of earth were lifted out of the ground, placed in crates, and moved here to the Page Museum. Then came the painstaking work of digging and the excavators couldn't been more excited.
Excavator Ryan Long says "to me this is LA's true history. Not Hollywood and movie stars and all of that. Our real history is right here." The findings are so big, paleontologists say they will redefine the tar pits, an area already well known for its discoveries of prehistoric life. And there's no bigger star in this collection than Zed, the name given to a Colombian mammoth, remarkable because he was found with his skeleton nearly intact.
Lab supervisor Shelley Cox said "we've never found a mammoth skeleton before. And in as good a condition as he is." Right now the children just think its pretty cool.
Paleontologists say Zed and the other fossils may inform decades of research on subjects like global warming.
CALIFORNIA: Researchers are in the process of painstakingly excavating the fossils that were found buried under a parking lot.
They call him "Zed," a nearly intact mammoth just discovered among a rare new prehistoric find at the world famous La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles.
There are so many fossils the excavators use dental picks to dig through the dirt so no one accidentally damages one. Paleontologists believe this discovery could double the collection at the La Brea tar pits by three to four million specimens.
Excavator Andrea Thomer says "we've got the skull of a dira, which is the most common animal we find at Rancho La Brea. One half of a jaw of a dira. And they were found next door as the L.A. County Museum of Art was preparing its new underground parking lot.
But excavating the entire site would have taken decades so huge chunks of earth were lifted out of the ground, placed in crates, and moved here to the Page Museum. Then came the painstaking work of digging and the excavators couldn't been more excited.
Excavator Ryan Long says "to me this is LA's true history. Not Hollywood and movie stars and all of that. Our real history is right here." The findings are so big, paleontologists say they will redefine the tar pits, an area already well known for its discoveries of prehistoric life. And there's no bigger star in this collection than Zed, the name given to a Colombian mammoth, remarkable because he was found with his skeleton nearly intact.
Lab supervisor Shelley Cox said "we've never found a mammoth skeleton before. And in as good a condition as he is." Right now the children just think its pretty cool.
Paleontologists say Zed and the other fossils may inform decades of research on subjects like global warming.
