List of fossil species in the La Brea Tar Pits facts for kids

La Brea Tar Pits fauna as depicted by Charles R. Knight.

A list of prehistoric and extinct species whose fossils have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits, located in present-day Hancock Park, a city park on the Miracle Mile section of the Mid-Wilshire district in Los Angeles, California.

Some of the tar pit's fossils are displayed in the adjacent George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries in the park. They are primarily from Pleistocene predator species. Daggers (†) in the list denote extinct species.

Mammals

Bison antiquus from the tar pits

Camelops hesternus in the George C. Page Museum

Arctodus simus from the La Brea tar pits

Dire wolf skeleton in the museum

Columbian mammoth skeleton from the tar pits displayed in the Page museum

Paramylodon harlani from the La Brea Tar Pits

Cast of skull of "La Brea Woman" on display, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

Artiodactyla

• Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)
• † Ancient bison (Bison antiquus)
• † Giant bison (Bison latifrons)
• † American camel (Camelops hesternus)
• † Dwarf pronghorn (Capromeryx minor)
• Cf. Wapiti (Cervus canadensis)
• Cf. † Shrub-ox (Euceratherium collinum)
• † Stilt-legged llama (Hemiauchenia macrocephala)
• Cf. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
• Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)
• † Flat-headed Peccary (Platygonus compressus)* † Wood-ox (Bootherium bombifrons)===Carnivora===
• † Giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus)
• Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)
• † Dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus)
• Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)
• † Pleistocene coyote (Canis latrans orcutti)
• Gray wolf (Canis lupus)
• † Scimitar-toothed cat (Homotherium serum)
• Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
• Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)
• † American cheetah (Miracinonyx inexpectatus)
• Long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata)
• † American lion (Panthera atrox)
• † Pleistocene North American jaguar (Panthera onca augusta)
• Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
• Cougar (Puma concolor)
• Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)
• American black bear (Ursus americanus)
• Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)
• † Saber-toothed cat (Smilodon fatalis)
• Western spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis)
• American badger (Taxidea taxus)

Chiroptera

• Pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus)
• Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus)

Pilosa

• † Harlan's ground sloth (Paramylodon harlani)
• † Jefferson's ground sloth (Megalonyx jeffersonii)
• † Shasta ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis)

Soricomorpha

• Crawford's gray shrew (Notiosorex crawfordi)
• Broad-footed mole (Scapanus latimanus)
• Ornate shrew (Sorex ornatus)

Lagomorpha

• Black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)
• Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)
• Brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani)

Perissodactyla

• † Mexican horse (Equus conversidens)
• † Cf. Western horse (Equus occidentalis)
• † California tapir (Tapirus californicus)

Primates

• Homo sapiens (Humans) (La Brea Woman)

Proboscidea

• † Pacific Mastodon (Mammut pacificus)
• † Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi)

Rodentia

• Agile kangaroo rat (Dipodomys agilis)
• California vole (Microtus californicus)
• Dusky-footed woodrat(Neotoma fuscipes)
• Southern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys torridus)
• California pocket mouse (Perognathus californicus)
• † Imperfect mouse (Peromyscus imperfectus)
• Western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis)
• Cf. California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi)
• Merriam's chipmunk (Neotamias merriami)
• Botta's pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae)

Birds

Amplibuteo woodwardi and Breagyps clarki skeletons

Caracara cheriway grinnelli fossil

Gymnogyps amplus fossil

Teratornis skeleton

Ciconia maltha from the pits

Buteogallus fragilis fossil

Neophrontops americanus fossil

Neogyps errans fossil

Accipitriformes

• Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
• Sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus velox)
• Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
• † Woodward's eagle (Amplibuteo woodwardi)
• Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
• Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
• Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainsoni)
• Rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus)
• Ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis)
• Hawk (Buteo sp.)
• † Buteogallus daggetti (Daggett's eagle)
• † Buteogallus fragilis (Fragile eagle)
• Hen harrier (Circus cyaneus)
• Black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus)
• Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
• † Errant eagle (Neogyps errans)
• † American vulture (Neophrontops americanus)
• † Grinnell's crested eagle (Spizaetus grinnelli )

Anseriformes

• † Anabernicula gracilenta
• Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
• Gadwall (Mareca strepera)
• Eurasian teal (Anas crecca)
• Cinnamon teal (Spatula cyanoptera)
• Northern shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
• Greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons)
• Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)
• Canada goose (Branta canadensis)
• Cf. Brant goose (Branta bernicla)
• Snow goose (Anser caerulescens)
• Ross's goose (Anser rossi)
• Tundra swan (Cygnus columbianus)

Caprimulgiformes

• Common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii)

Cathartiformes

• † La Brea condor (Breagyps clarki)
• Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura)
• † Cathartornis gracilis
• † Coragyps occidentalis
• † Gymnogyps amplus
• † Merriam's teratorn (Teratornis merriami)

Ciconiiformes

• † La Brea stork (Ciconia maltha)
• † Mycteria wetmorei

Charadriiformes

• Sanderling (Calidris alba)
• Dunlin Calidris alpina)
• Willet (Tringa semipalmata)
• Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
• Wilson's snipe (Gallinago gallinago delicata)
• Common gull (Larus canus)
• Short-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
• Marbled godwit (Limosa fedoa)
• Long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus)
• Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus)
• American avocet (Recurvirostra americana)
• Black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
• Greater yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
• Red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)
• Grey plover (Pluvialis squatarola)

Columbiformes

• † Passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius)
• Band-tailed pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata)
• Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura)

Cuculiformes

• Greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)

Falconiformes

• Merlin (Falco columbarius)
• Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus)
• Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
• American kestrel (Falco sparverius)
• Falcon (Falco sp.)
• † La Brea or crested caracara (Caracara cheriway grinnelli)

Galliformes

• California quail (Callipepla californica)
• † Californian turkey (Meleagris californica)

Gruiformes

• American coot (Fulica americana)
• Sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis)
• Whooping crane (Grus americana)
• † Grus pagei

Strigiformes

• Northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus)
• Short-eared owl (Asio flammeus)
• Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia)
• Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)
• Northern pygmy owl (Glaucidium gnoma)
• † Kurochkin’s pygmy owl (Glaucidium kurochkini)
• † La Brea owl (Oraristrix brea)
• Eastern screech owl (Megascops asio)
• † Brea miniature owl (Asphaltoglaux cecileae)
• Barn owl (Tyto alba)

Passeriformes

• Cf. Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus californicus)
• Bell's sparrow (Amphispiza belli)
• Black-throated sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata)
• California scrub jay (Aphelocoma californica)
• Cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
• Pine siskin (Carduelis pinus)
• American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
• Lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)
• Evening grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus)
• American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
• Northwestern crow (Corvus caurinus)
• Common raven (Corvus corax)
• Chihuahuan raven (Corvus cryptoleucus)
• Steller's jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
• Horned lark (Eremophila alpestris)
• † Euphagus magnirostris
• Indeterminate Fringillidae
• Icterus spp.
• Loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
• Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
• Brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater)
• Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)
• Sage thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus)
• † Pandanaris convexa
• Cf. Mountain chickadee (Parus gambeli)
• Fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca)
• Yellow-billed magpie (Pica nuttalli)
• Black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)
• Indeterminate Parulinae
• Eastern towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalamus)
• Canyon towhee Pipilo fuscus)
• † Pipilo angelensis
• Vesper sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus)
• Cf. Western bluebird (Sialia mexicana)
• Chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina)
• Spizella sp.
• Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
• California thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum)
• American robin (Turdus migratorius)
• Cassin's kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans)
• Yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus sp.)
• White-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

Pelecaniformes

• Great egret (Ardea alba)
• Great blue heron (Ardea herodias)
• American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
• Striated heron ([[Butorides striatus)
• Snowy egret (Egretta thula)
• Little blue heron (Egretta caerulea)
• Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
• Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sp.)
• Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
• White-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi)

Piciformes

• Northern flicker (Colaptes auratus cafer)
• Pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
• Lewis's woodpecker (Melanerpes lewisi)
• Picoides sp.
• Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus sp.)

Podicipediformes

• Pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
• Grebe (Podiceps sp.)

Reptiles, amphibians, and fish

• Arroyo chub
• Thamnophis (garter snake)
• Gopher snake
• Kingsnake
• Rainbow trout
• Rattlesnake
• Aneides lugubris (arboreal salamander)
• Gasterosteus aculeatus (three-spined stickleback)
• Hyla sp. (tree frog)
• Bufo sp. (toad)
• Western pond turtle

Invertebrates

Hydrophilius sp.

Millipede

• Scorpionida (scorpions)
• Araneida (spiders)
• Ostracoda (water fleas)
• Isopoda (pill bugs)
• Diplopoda (millipedes)
• Odonta (damselflies)
• Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets)
• Isoptera (termites)
• Hemiptera (true bugs and cicadas)
• Coleoptera (beetles)
• Diptera (flies)
• Hymenoptera (ants and wasps)
• Dung beetle
• Grasshopper
• Megachile gentilis (leafcutter bee)
• Pill bug

Plants

• California juniper (Juniperus californica)
• Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia)
• Western poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum)
• Ragweed
• Western raspberry (Rubus leucodermis)
• Red cedar (Thuja plicata)
• Coast redwood tree (Sequoia sempervirens)
• Sagebrush
• California sycamore (Platanus racemosa)
• Thistle
• California walnut tree (Juglans californica)

Images for kids

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  Glyptotherium skeleton