Rancho La Brea: Treasures of the Tar Pits

by Emily L. Lindsey

Fossils from the asphalt provide a detailed picture of life in North America during the closing phases of the last great Ice Age and are now impressively displayed at the George C. Page Museum of LaBrea Discoveries.

Genres: Palaeontology

73 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1985

Reviews

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

So freaky to think of woolly mammoths strolling down Wilshire Blvd.....

[Laura Madsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done with nice graphics and readable science, appropriate for older kids and adults.

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!! I read the third edition edited by Emily L. Lindsey, so it’s not exactly the same as what is listed. I really, REALLY enjoyed the well-explained science and the amazing graphics. The La Brea Tar Pits are one of the greatest fossil sites on earth- certainly, I argue, the greatest site for ice age mammal. 4000 dire wolves have been found!!!

A few of the fascinating creatures that walked the land where we now live:

- American Lion (800 pounds, tied for the largest cat to ever live).

- Long-Horned Bison (7 feet tall with a 6 foot spread of horns).

- Giant Ground Sloths (equipped with bony ossicles in their skin to defend against predators)

- Short-Faced Bear (bigger than a polar bear, with loooong legs, a short face, and teeth adapted for near-exclusively meat eating

- Merriam’s teratorn bird (a 30-pound vulture-like bird with a 14-foot wingspan)

… and two icons:

- Saber Toothed Cat (the iconic beast the size of a modern African Lion. Smilodon likely lived and hunted in packs and even shared meat with elderly or infirm members of their own group)

- Colombian Mammoth (the biggest Proboscidean you’ll ever see!)

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The La Brea Tar Pits are a seriously weird place in Los Angeles. The pits (actually asphalt and not tar, but most people don't care) have captured and preserved the remains of thousands of animals and birds over more than 50,000 years, including many extinct species like dire wolves, saber-toothed cats and mammoths. This book covers all of this in a lively and well-illustrated manner. A very nice souvenir of a unique place.

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book that explores the major fossils - including birds, plants, and small creatures - present at La Brea.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this short (50 page) book up at the gift shop at the Page Museum/Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles after a recent visit. Although the museum tops the book, it's not a bad little summary of the history of the area, the science being done there, the museum itself and most importantly, the massive collection of fossils found in the tar pits over the last 100 years. The photos and drawings are generally pretty good and it's a quick and easy read.

[Loren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm surprised the authors could such a fascinating place and turn it into such a mediocre book. Repetitive, brief, and very dry, this book is better than nothing when you need a memento of your visit to the Tar Pits. Hopefully, someone will write the real story of how the Tar Pits have been used, rescued, and explored -- and also how the animals found themselves in the tar and what it tells us about their lives and times. I look forward to reading that book. In the meantime, I look forward to another visit to the Tar Pits themselves.