Scientists from around the world come here for some unconventional treasures preseved under the tar.“I get excited about a mouse toe!” exclaims Shelley Cox.Cox cleans fossils in a lab called the Fish Bowl. It is located in the George C. Page Museum in Los Angeles,which houses fossils of animals and plants trapped and preserved by the tar at the La Brea Tar Pits.Some of the remains date back more than 40-thousand years.“We have such a variety of fossils that there is almost something for everyone preserved right here,” said Cox.That’s 5.5 million fossils found in the last hundred years, and it’s why paleontologists from around the world come here to study the discoveries.Chief Curator John Harris says even saber tooth cats and mammoths were no match for the thick, sticky asphalt.“They got stuck in asphalt, stuck like flies on fly paper. If they were lucky, they succumbed to hunger and thirst after about a week.If they were unlucky, they were torn apart by wandering predators and scavengers.”In the past, paleontologists focused on the large mammals, but the remains of smaller creatures such as snails or insects are now getting more attention.These microfossils give scientists a better picture of the ancient ecosystem. They also tell scientists how organisms are affected by climate change.
