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TAR BEETLE - Up to 20,000 years old - California

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Home > FOSSILS > FOSSILS FROM THE ICE AGE
 
FOSSIL TAR BEETLE
 
La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles,
California, USA
 
Up to 20,000 years old
 
In the vicinity of Los Angeles there are several tar pits that have produced spectacular fossils, the most famous of which is the La Brea Tar Pits in urban Los Angeles. Natural tar or asphalt seeps up through fissures in the ground from underground oil fields to form pools of thick tar (brea in Spanish) over a wide area - a process that has been going on for tens of thousands of years. 
 
The asphalt is thick enough to trap animals and the fossils that have been excavated from the tar include the bones of mammoths, wolves and sabre-toothed cats. The tar has also preserved the remains of smaller creatures, such as rodents and insects, providing an insight into the environment and climate of what is now California during the last glacial period. 
  
This delightful fossil beetle is from an old collection. It is preserved on a block of compressed vegetation and contained in a vintage museum display box with a glass lid. It is somewhat fragile and care should be taken if removing it from the box.

  
Click on a picture for a larger image

Size: 7 x 5 x 3.5 centimetres (size of box)
Weight: 62 grams (including box)

PRICE: £68.00
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