Annual Tar Pit Dig Finds Saber-Tooth, Sloth Fossils

The skull of a saber-toothed cat and limb bones of a ground sloth were among the 28,000-year-old fossils discovered as an annual excavation at the La Brea Tar Pits got under way Thursday.

Paleontologists began excavation of a site known as Pit 91 in 1969 and have returned to it yearly since 1980, said Dr. John Harris, chief curator of paleontology at the George C. Page Museum in Hancock Park.

More than 650 species of animals and plants have been found in the many tar pits that dot the 23-acre park.

The fossils are preserved in sandy clay which has been interspersed with tar, Harris said.

“It’s a lot like excavating in gritty fudge, or a sandy brownie,” he said.

Excavation will continue until early September. The public can observe scientists at work in the pit Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at no charge.