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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
@tarpits.org
14K followers 40 following 210 posts
One of the most famous fossil localities, recognized for having the largest and most diverse assemblage of extinct Ice Age plants and animals in the world. Open 9:30am - 5pm daily, closed the first Tuesday of every month. http://linktr.ee/thelabreatarpits
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La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · 22d
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. Kick off the Halloween season at our Member-exclusive Haunted Museum event at #NHMLA! Join us after-hours as the Museum transforms into a world of spine-tingling and thrilling experiences on Saturday, October 4: go.nhm.org/hauntedmuseu...

👻 Thanks to our event sponsor Zolli Candy!
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · 3h
🦴✨ Project 23's unearthed wonders coming through!

In a single tablespoon of tar-soaked matrix from Project 23 at the #TarPits, scientists find dozens of fossils—from tiny seeds to small mammal bones.

Discover how every grain matters at TARPITS.org.
Matrix found at La Brea Tar Pits. Text "A tablespoon of matrix (dirt) can yield up to 50 fossils that may include seeds, millipedes, insects, and freshwater shells, as well as bones of toads, turtles, lizards, snakes, rodents, and small birds!" on top of a photograph of matrix collecting at La Brea Tar Pits in the background. Microfossil found at La Brea Tar Pits.
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · 7d
🦴✨ We're bringing you Project 23's star discoveries!

Did you know Zed, a Columbian mammoth, is the largest fossil uncovered in Project 23?

Swipe to view a 3D model comparison to the real specimen on view in our Fossil Lab, and learn more about our unearthed wonders at TARPITS.org.
A mammoth skeleton displayed at the La Brea Tar Pits. Text "Of the more than 50,000 Ice Age fossils dug up in Project 23, the largest one by far is the nearly complete skeleton of Zed, a Columbian mammoth, which was found, including the skull and both intact 10-foot-long tusks." on top of an image of Zed's tusks on display at the Tar Pits.
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · 12d
🐘 Meet Hayden, the Wilshire Boulevard Metro Mammoth! Found during Metro construction, learn how this Ice Age giant reminds us how cool Los Angeles really is: bit.ly/MetroMammoth...
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · 15d
🐯 How could a saber-toothed cat with congenital hip dysplasia survive into adulthood? Research suggests that a social structure helped members survive to adulthood, even when they were unable to hunt for themselves: bit.ly/SabertoothPe...
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · 21d
🍖 Hungry for History? Fossils from the #TarPits reveal the diets of saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and more—served straight from asphalt.

Take a bite into prehistory: bit.ly/TarPitsPD
Fossilized Bison teeth Fossilized Bison teeth Fossilized Camel teeth Fossilized Horse teeth
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · 22d
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. Kick off the Halloween season at our Member-exclusive Haunted Museum event at #NHMLA! Join us after-hours as the Museum transforms into a world of spine-tingling and thrilling experiences on Saturday, October 4: go.nhm.org/hauntedmuseu...

👻 Thanks to our event sponsor Zolli Candy!
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Sep 8
🐺 Dire wolves are not just fictional—more than 4,000 dire wolves have been found at La Brea Tar Pits, which is the richest Ice Age fossil site in the world.

Learn more about this extinct species that once howled through the Ice Age at TARPITS.org
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Sep 4
👀🦣 Can you spot all 8 hunters?
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Sep 2
🐪 Think being stuck in L.A. traffic's a drag? Try getting stuck in its 𝘵𝘢𝘳. Meet 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘶𝘴, the Ice Age camel that once roamed North America: bit.ly/AncientCamelLA
Camelops hesternus fossil on display at the La Brea Tar Pits. An illustration of the large-headed llama Hemiauchenia. A Camelops skeleton. An illustration of Camelops hesternus, an extinct North American camel.
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Reposted by La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
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Mindy Weisberger @laminda.bsky.social · Aug 26
From a trip to L.A. a few years ago, the @tarpits.org Page Museum's animatronic saber-toothed cat and giant ground sloth locked in an eternally looping Ice Age death struggle never fails to spark joy
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 27
🌴 In sunny California, shade is always a hot commodity, but during extreme heat, it becomes a necessity. Discover the changing tree line of L.A. through the lens of #TarPits fossils—and the evolving presence of shade in our warming climate: go.nhm.org/tp-shade
The reflection of looming Los Angeles palm trees in water.
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 25
💡 Did you know that the Tar Pits' iconic Lake Pit is a pit left over from asphalt mining operations in the late 1800s? Uncover more about the past and Ice Age L.A. at TARPITS.org!
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 19
Thursday, August 21, join us at @nhm.org’s NHM Commons Theater for a special co-presentation with PBS SoCal: a screening of the series Human Footprint, episode “Vanishing Act,” featuring the #TarPits!

Free with RSVP! View the event details and save your spot today: go.nhm.org/pbs-hf
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 18
⛏️ Did you know Pit 91 is an active excavation site where Ice Age fossils are uncovered every summer? Step into L.A. prehistory and see science in action for yourself—plan your visit today: TARPITS.org
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 15
Join Dr. Shane Campbell-Staton and the #TarPits' Dr. Emily Lindsey for a special Q&A and screening of "Human Footprint", Thursday, August 21, at @nhm.org's NHM Commons Theater: go.nhm.org/pbs-hf
Green Screen: Human Footprint
Join us for a special co-presentation with PBS SoCal: a screening of the series Human Footprint, Episode “Vanishing Act,” featuring our own La Brea Tar Pits.
go.nhm.org
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 15
For decades, scientists debated whether #climate change or human hunters were to blame. However, new evidence suggests a more complex and unsettling cause: a perilous combination of warming temperatures, ecological disruption, and the spread of fires—ignited by us.

youtu.be/rhvP19QNqTE
The Mysterious Mass Extinction Hidden in LA
YouTube video by PBS Terra
youtu.be
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 13
Thaaaaat's us!
tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 13
The County of Los Angeles’ Chief Sustainability Office wants YOUR thoughts on their draft 2025 OurCounty Sustainability Plan! View the details and provide your comments now through August 22: cso.lacounty.gov/2025-ourcoun...
A young child views their surrounding natural environment through a pair of binoculars.
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 13
The #TarPits are a graveyard—and a survival story.

Why some species survived while others didn’t isn’t just a mystery of the past—it’s a window into the future of life on a changing planet.

Explore the stories written in asphalt: bit.ly/LBTPSurvival
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 12
If you're curious about how animals are coping with extreme heat and what we can do to help, reach out to #NHMLAC Researchers with your questions!

Comment below or write to [email protected]—we’d love to hear from you.
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 12
🐿️ Ever been so hot you just wanted to sploot? That's one way some four-legged mammals (like this California ground squirrel) keep cool. From scaly reptiles to fluffy mammals, rising temperatures are impacting wildlife across Southern California and the globe: go.nhm.org/tp-shade
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 10
🦁 Meet 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘹, the American lion and the largest big cat to ever prowl the #TarPits. Fossils from La Brea are helping scientists piece together how this giant lived, hunted, and eventually disappeared. Step into the shadow of one of prehistory’s most powerful cats: bit.ly/LBTPAL
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 7
🪰 Tiny, tough, and thriving in tar! Meet the petroleum fly, the only known insect whose entire life cycle unfolds in asphalt.

Get a closer look at these extreme survivors found at the #TarPits: bit.ly/TinyToughTar
SEM image depicting the full body of an oil fly larva An SEM image of an oil fly larva's anterior face (front) with antennae, maxillary sense organs, mouth hooks, and oral ridges visible
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 7
Thursday, August 21, join us at @nhm.org's NHM Commons Theater for a special co-presentation with PBS SoCal: a screening of the series Human Footprint, episode “Vanishing Act,” featuring the #TarPits!

Free with RSVP: go.nhm.org/pbs-hf

🦏 Presented in collaboration with PBS SoCal.
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tarpits.org
La Brea Tar Pits & Museum @tarpits.org · Aug 5
🪽 Meet one of L.A.’s tallest prehistoric residents— the La Brea Stork!

Learn more about our feathered friends and view our one-of-a-kind discoveries at the La Brea Tar Pits!
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