WASHINGTON — Scientists in Australia have identified the oldest known fossil footprints of a reptile-like animal, dated to around 350 million years ago.
The discovery suggests that after the first animals emerged from the ocean around 400 million years ago, they evolved the ability to live exclusively on land much faster than previously assumed.
“We had thought the transition from fin to limb took much longer,†said California State University paleontologist Stuart Sumida, who was not involved in the new research.
This image provided by Prof. Per Erik Ahlberg shows an artist's illustration of the possible appearance of a reptile-like creature that lived around 350 million years ago in what's now Australia.Â
Previously, the earliest known reptile footprints, found in Canada, were dated to 318 million years ago.
The ancient footprints from Australia were found on a slab of sandstone recovered near Melbourne and show reptile-like feet with long toes and hooked claws.
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Scientists estimate the animal was about 2½ feet long and may have resembled a modern monitor lizard. The findings were published Wednesday in Nature.
The hooked claws are a crucial identification clue, said study co-author and paleontologist Per Ahlberg at Uppsala University in Sweden.
“It’s a walking animal,†he said.
Only animals that evolved to live solely on land ever developed claws. The earliest vertebrates — fish and amphibians — never developed hard nails and remained dependent on watery environments to lay eggs and reproduce.
This image provided by Prof. Per Erik Ahlberg shows a slab of sandstone found near Melbourne, Australia, preserving fossil footprints from a reptile-like animal that lived around 350 million years ago. The footprints are highlighted in yellow (front feet) and blue (back feet) and show the movements of three similar animals, researchers say.Â
But the branch of the evolutionary tree that led to modern reptiles, birds and mammals, known as amniotes, developed feet with nails or claws fit for walking on hard ground.
“This is the earliest evidence we’ve ever seen of an animal with claws,†said Sumida.
At the time the ancient reptile lived, the region was hot and steamy and vast forests began to cover the planet. Australia was part of the supercontinent Gondwana.
The fossil footprints record a series of events in one day, Ahlberg said. One reptile scampered across the ground before a light rain fell. Some raindrop dimples partially obscured its trackways. Then two more reptiles ran by in the opposite direction before the ground hardened and was covered in sediment.
Fossil “trackways are beautiful because they tell you how something lived, not just what something looked like,†said co-author John Long, a paleontologist at Flinders University in Australia.
States with the most dinosaur fossils
#46. Kentucky (tie)
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 0
The reports that while the state has no dinosaur fossils, it has other fossils from as far back as 505 million years ago. Discoveries are happening in real time, too: A was discovered in January 2020 inside a Kentucky cave. For what it lacks in actual fossils, the Bluegrass State makes up for with .
#46. New Hampshire (tie)
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 0
The Granite State’s title alone explains why fossils are few and far between: Granite is an igneous rock formed by cooling lava, which cannot sustain fossils. That’s why out west, where there is a lot of sedimentary rock, fossils are much more prevalent. Additionally, (like that in much of New Hampshire) does not keep bones well.
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#46. Rhode Island (tie)
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 0
Similar to other New England states, Rhode Island is . But the state has one thing others don't: famous paleontologist David Fastovsky. The University of Rhode Island professor said that dinosaurs almost certainly , but their footprints were destroyed by glaciers.
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#46. Vermont (tie)
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 0
Vermont may have , but not dinosaurs. There is, however, the Charlotte whale, Darwin’s famous evolution theory was published after the discovery, which was approximately two mountain ranges from the nearest ocean. proved the state was once covered in glaciers (which, once retreated, made room for flooding from the Atlantic Ocean) and not home to deeply deposited rocks and dinosaur bones.
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#46. Wisconsin (tie)
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 0
Where there is no rock, , which is the case in Wisconsin. Though containing no stone from the Permian period to the Neogene age (either due to erosion or having never been there), the state is known for its small marine vertebrates proving water life from more than 500 million years ago.
Wisconsin was covered with shallow seas in the , leaving behind thousands of samplings including the state fossil Calymene, first collected in the 1830s.
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#45. West Virginia
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 1
- Genus with the most fossils: Ectopistes (1 fossil)
- Time period with the most fossils: unknown (1 fossil)
Known for its that dates back as far as 400 million years ago, West Virginia has significant amphibian and tetrapod fossils. The state also has a Megalonyx, the fossil recorded in PBDB, which was described by President Thomas Jefferson as the Giant Ground Sloth and today serves as the state fossil.
West Virginia is home to the , where visitors can learn about why there are so few dinosaur fossils: The state's sedimentary rocks predate dinosaurs, while the state’s Mesozoic rocks have long since eroded along with any fossilized evidence.
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#44. Minnesota
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 1
- Genus with the most fossils: Dromaeosauridae (1 fossil)
- Time period with the most fossils: Cenomanian (1 fossil)
A fossilized dino claw with a tooth and vertebrae was , but the jury is still out on whether the artifact hitched a ride on a glacier or called the North Star State home. There’s no other evidence of dinosaurs but woolly mammoth and old bison fossils have been found in Minnesota, as well as others that date back as far as 540 million years ago.
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#43. Indiana
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 1
- Genus with the most fossils: Passeriformes (1 fossil)
- Time period with the most fossils: unknown (1 fossil)
PBDB only documents one dinosaur fossil in the Hoosier State, but it is home to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis: the largest children’s museum in the world and , according to Fodor’s. Indiana is notable for from the region, which was once covered in glaciers.
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#42. New York
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 2
- Genus with the most fossils: Atreipus and Grallator (1 fossil each)
- Time period with the most fossils: Norian (2 fossils)
The Grallator left 200-million-old Triassic tracks in Rockland County, proving its prehistoric presence. The New York dino is so famous that even with the renowned carnivore double.
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#41. Iowa
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 3
- Genus with the most fossils: Hadrosauridae (2 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Albian (2 fossils)
Iowa is home to one of the world’s biggest found at Fort Dodge Formation, and the state is . Even though a roamed here, there is no confirmation that Iowa served as home base like adjacent states. The Fossil and Prairie Center in Rockford invites visitors to search for fossils along miles of trails.
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#40. Missouri
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 4
- Genus with the most fossils: Hadrosauridae (3 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Campanian (4 fossils)
The , Missouri, became the state symbol. The state is also home to a plethora of fossils from Visitors can also check out famous dinosaur bones, a piece of meteorite, mammoth tusks, and other fossils at the Ed Clark Museum of Missouri Geology in Rolla.
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#39. Louisiana
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 4
- Genus with the most fossils: Procellariiformes (2 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Priabonian (2 fossils)
Famous fossil sites like Creole Bluff at Montgomery Landing, where a huge whale skeleton was uncovered in 1979, reveal Louisiana’s prehistoric past. Fossil hunters regularly check the state’s
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#38. Michigan
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 7
- Genus with the most fossils: Meleagris (2 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Late Pleistocene (6 fossils)
Eroding sediment kept dinosaur bones from fossilizing however, there are some that have been discovered in the area. The has several displays of local fossils for students to study, including Paleozoic and Mesozoic reptile relics.
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#37. Delaware
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 11
- Genus with the most fossils: Hadrosauridae (3 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Campanian (6 fossils)
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is a major discovery site of dinosaur remains. The Cretaceous-period . Teeth and toes are two of the most , as well as evidence of prehistoric turtles.
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#36. Arkansas
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 12
- Genus with the most fossils: Hesperornis (2 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Albian (9 fossils)
Foot bones of a , proving prehistoric life wandered the southern state. By 2017, the Arkansaurus fridayi became the official state dinosaur. Dinosaur tracks were additionally discovered in the early ‘80s at the , a gypsum quarry in southwestern Arkansas.
Another gypsum quarry near Nashville, Arkansas, yields thousands of huge dinosaur tracks—most likely from a plant-eater roaming in the Jurassic period.
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#35. Mississippi
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 13
- Genus with the most fossils: Hadrosauridae (4 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Campanian (6 fossils)
New Albany, Mississippi, was home to a 2016 discovery of a . The Ceratopsian dinosaur tooth is only one of three of those style fossils ever discovered in the Eastern U.S., according to the curator and paleontologist George Phillips with the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. Phillips also confirmed that a 50-pound Mastodon fossil found in 2018 was likely from the Ice Age.
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#34. Maine
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 15
- Genus with the most fossils: Pinguinus (10 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Holocene (14 fossils)
The reports two reasons for relics being scarce in the state are mountain building and erosion. But fossil enthusiasts can still get their kicks at A reported gap in the geological record due to glaciers makes the likelihood of discovering an abundance of dinosaur bones little to none.
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#33. Nevada
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 22
- Genus with the most fossils: Aves (2 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Cenomanian (10 fossils)
Scientists in 2006 in Nevada confirmed the . The sauropod, dromaeosaurs, tyrannosauroid, and iguanodont fossils prove that prehistoric creatures once roamed Nevada’s deserts. Less than a decade later, in 2015, the , a frightening prehistoric giant reptile, were found.
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#32. Washington
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 28
- Genus with the most fossils: Tonsala (7 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Rupelian (9 fossils)
The first documented dinosaur fossil was unearthed in 2015 in Washington State. That artifact was a , a dinosaur clade that includes the raptor and T. rex. The species, thought to have migrated from Mexico between 80 and 50 million years ago, died in the region that is most popular for giant sloths, mastodons, and mammoths.
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#31. Illinois
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 31
- Genus with the most fossils: Ectopistes (8 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Holocene (31 fossils)
The Mesozoic period, which is notorious for eroding fossils rather than actively depositing them, was not kind to Illinois despite the area being suitable for dinosaur life. The Midwest state was a warm, swampy forest at the end of the dinosaur era. Evidence of includes “Tully Monster†fossils, Indiana’s official fossil dating back 300 million years. The a prosperous record of Quaternary fossils found from giant animals including stag moose and beaver.
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#30. South Carolina
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 32
- Genus with the most fossils: Pelagornis (5 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Campanian (12 fossils)
Two were just the beginning of several dinosaur fossil finds in the early and mid-’90s. Specific Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic rocks were unearthed in a Batesburg outcrop on the southwestern side of the Palmetto State, allowing for the potential of more fossils. have also been found in the southeastern part of the state.
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#29. Tennessee
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 34
- Genus with the most fossils: Aves (3 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Late Pleistocene (28 fossils)
is home to a lot of dinosaur bones, but the relics are not all necessarily from the region. Retired biologist Jim Kelsey and other volunteers at bring in and mold dinosaur bones and relics from Montana and other areas. During the , marine-conditions kept the dinosaurs, who roamed further east, away.
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#28. Pennsylvania
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 40
- Genus with the most fossils: Grallator (23 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Norian (32 fossils)
Distributed dinosaur tracks from the Mesozoic era confirm tyrannosaurs, raptors, and ceratopsians . Pennsylvania State Museum curator and paleontologist Steven Jasinski said the fossilized dinosaur prints, specifically in southeastern sections of the state, are from the Triassic Period and are likely from grallators and atropos. A volunteer at discovered fossilized tracks on 210 million-year-old rock slabs within the forest in 2017.
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#27. Ohio
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 41
- Genus with the most fossils: Meleagris (5 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Holocene (41 fossils)
The reports several fossil-rich sites throughout a few official Buckeye State museums, including Caesar Creek, Crown Lake, Stonelick, and Trammel Fossil. Some , may not be exact dinosaur relics due to sea level erosion—but that doesn’t mean they’re not monstrous. Take, for example, the 20-foot, one-ton found near Cleveland, which is most definitely a dinosaur fish.
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#26. Georgia
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 55
- Genus with the most fossils: Anas (6 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Late Pleistocene (48 fossils)
The incomplete remains from a Deinosuchus (a prehistoric crocodile) were unearthed in Georgia, where duck-billed dinosaur relics are most prevalent. The Peach State is also home to a plethora of ancient whale and shark fossils, as well as the Megalonyx, a massive ground sloth. Then there are the large (30% above average) chipmunk fossils, which prove the genus and species titled Tamias aristus was a Georgia local millions of years ago.
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#25. Kansas
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 57
- Genus with the most fossils: Hesperornis (4 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Coniacian (11 fossils)
Kansas rancher found fossils in 1955 that were eventually named the state dinosaur and named after him. Many parts of the prehistoric creature, Silvisaurus condrayi, were unearthed over time. To date, the skull, back, and tailbone, neck, jaw, teeth, and more, all under the authority of the Kansas University Biodiversity Institute Natural History Museum, have been unearthed. The state does not keep the collection on constant display.
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#24. Nebraska
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 58
- Genus with the most fossils: Pediohierax (4 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Langhian (16 fossils)
A 12-million-year-old , but it also protected their parts for paleontologists to study later. Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park is where said paleontologists gather annually in the summer to discover more relics from the period. At the same time, Fort Robinson State Park’s Trailside Museum houses two massive mammoth fossils. The animal fossils, unearthed in 1962, are locked together by their horns, meaning they were killed while face to face.
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#23. Oklahoma
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 59
- Genus with the most fossils: Tenontosaurus (6 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Tithonian (29 fossils)
Oklahoma’s state fossil—a —was discovered in the 1930s in Cimarron County. The fossil comes from a 40-foot long, carnivorous dinosaur from the Jurassic Period. Oklahoma is home to other fossils too, including 10,000-year-old mammoth relics of tusk and teeth found at Quartz Mountain State Park. The , which has the most massive collection of dinosaur artifacts outside the Smithsonian, offers digging expeditions for locals and tourists.
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#22. Alabama
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 59
- Genus with the most fossils: Nodosauridae (3 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Late Pleistocene (37 fossils)
proudly displays prehistoric dinosaur bones, including the 22-foot Alabama Tyrannosaur and 13-foot armored dinosaur Nodosaur, both from the Late Cretaceous Period. During the 1940s, remnants of a , classified as a duck-billed dinosaur or hadrosaur, were discovered in Selma. During the same decade, evidence of Squalicorax, a fierce Cretaceous period shark, was found, particularly from teeth marks infixed in prehistoric reptiles, including dinosaurs.
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#21. Idaho
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 72
- Genus with the most fossils: Dinosauria (6 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Cenomanian (29 fossils)
It wasn’t until the and conditions were right to preserve fossils. Even the Tenontosaurus relics found there are assumed have originated in fossil-rich Wyoming.
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#20. Maryland
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 73
- Genus with the most fossils: Ornithomimosauria (6 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Aptian (35 fossils)
is the best place to find unearthed fossils, since it is precisely where the massive creatures spent their time. The park is not the only section of the state where fossils are found: Prehistoric shark teeth and shells have been Drenched by the Atlantic in the Miocene era, Maryland has mostly turned up whale, sea cow, and shark relics from its regions.
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#19. Hawaii
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 95
- Genus with the most fossils: Apteribis (14 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Holocene (57 fossils)
An abundant prehistoric dinosaur history in Hawaii does not exist due to its . What Hawaii lacks in hearty dinosaur fossils it makes up for with fossils from three certain types of prehistoric birds and snail shells.
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#18. Connecticut
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 109
- Genus with the most fossils: Eubrontes (32 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Sinemurian (78 fossils)
boasts one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America, featuring footprints from Dilophosoraous. Up to 2,000 footprints were found during a state building excavation, with 500 of the original tracks enclosed in the geodesic dome. The remaining tracks were buried for conservation. The fossilized dinosaur tracks assume the animal was at least 18-feet long. Other can be seen at the Yale Peabody Museum and Connecticut Science Center.
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#17. Alaska
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 109
- Genus with the most fossils: Aethia (9 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Holocene (52 fossils)
The fossil of a got a new species designation: Thalattosaur, or Gundadeit. Identifying the rare relic, thought to have been unearthed from tectonic activity in the Pacific Ocean, took a decade. The animal is thought to be a Triassic marine reptile. Another big discovery came in January 2020:
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#16. New Jersey
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 140
- Genus with the most fossils: Hadrosauridae (26 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Maastrichtian (42 fossils)
is from a duck-billed Hadrosaurus named foulkii in 1991. Hadrosaurus fossils were found as early as 1838, with Dryptosaurus fossils first discovered in the Garden State in 1866. However, like many seashores, New Jersey is renowned for more marine-like monsters, including the Icarosaurus, a lizard with leathery wings that likely lived during the Triassic Period. of 30-million-year-old crocodiles, sharks, and Mosasaurs as well as prehistoric land animals, including the massive mammoths and mastodons.
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#15. North Carolina
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 151
- Genus with the most fossils: Morus (8 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Zanclean (107 fossils)
Raleigh was once home to a that lived 230 million years ago within the then-swampy terrain. To see life-sized creatures of the Cretaceous period (between 145 and 66 million years ago), head to Durham’s
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#14. Oregon
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 154
- Genus with the most fossils: Larus (8 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Late Pleistocene (120 fossils)
A rare, land-dwelling dinosaur relic unearthed in Eastern Oregon in 2015—an —proves prehistoric creatures roamed the state and represents Oregon’s most significant ancient find. Prominent fossil sites in the state include John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and Paisley Caves, as well as the Pittsburgh Bluff formation, Fossil Lake, and the Blue Mountains.
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#13. South Dakota
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 198
- Genus with the most fossils: Triceratops (18 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Maastrichtian (133 fossils)
South Dakota’s Black Hills are home to the most dinosaur fossils in the state. A handful of other spots—including the , not to mention The Badlands—also house prehistoric relics.
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#12. Arizona
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 224
- Genus with the most fossils: Theropoda (28 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Sinemurian (74 fossils)
Arizona is home to . The state's natural history museum displays the most significant collection. Some of the most prominent . also has relics proving the presence of human-size bipedal carnivores in the region.
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#11. North Dakota
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 250
- Genus with the most fossils: Ceratopsidae (70 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Maastrichtian (247 fossils)
North Dakota digs have unearthed , among dozens of other fossils found throughout the state. The hosts digs, and at least eight other spots have a plethora of prehistoric fossils, including the
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#10. Virginia
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 280
- Genus with the most fossils: Aves (15 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Late Pleistocene (177 fossils)
Virginia is rich in fossils, but can only claim the remnants of one dinosaur so far: the Tanytrachelos, a small insect-eater which dates back 225 million years. Prehistoric fossils from insects and whales, along with ancient mammoths and mastodons, also come from the region.
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#9. Massachusetts
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 319
- Genus with the most fossils: Grallator (80 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Sinemurian (228 fossils)
Massachusett's official state fossil is a set of dinosaur tracks from a 50-foot long theropod discovered in Granby. Remains of an Anchisarus, a plant-eating dinosaur from the Mesozoic Era, prove the prehistoric animals roamed the Bay State. Natural history museums throughout the state, including Berkshire Museum, house the hundreds of state fossils. Unfortunately, fossils from a two-legged therapod discovered in 1910 got destroyed in a museum fire.
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#8. Texas
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 497
- Genus with the most fossils: Theropoda (77 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Campanian (213 fossils)
Paluxy River reveals the tracks of prehistoric creatures within . In 2019, the Lone Star state’s most extensive collection of ancient creature fossils got named , which means flocking lizard. Post Oak Creek, Lake Whitney, and Mineral Wells Fossil Park house dozens of the state's fossils, while the less formal has up to 100 life-size dinosaurs on a 20-acre safari trail offering some prehistoric fun to locals and tourists alike.
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#7. Colorado
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 580
- Genus with the most fossils: Camarasaurus (35 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Tithonian (249 fossils)
The world’s first Stegosaurus fossil was discovered in Colorado in 1877 at , which is also one of the world’s best spots for dinosaur footprints, with 300 tracks across a two-mile hike. The in the northwest corner of the state has roughly 1,500 dinosaur bones that can be seen stuck in a cliff wall.
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#6. Utah
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 774
- Genus with the most fossils: Theropoda (70 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Campanian (123 fossils)
The 1996 unearthing of an using radiation detection resulted in the discovery of a new species. Red Fleet State Park is home to several dinosaur footprints, although officials are worried that visitors are .
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#5. Florida
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 895
- Genus with the most fossils: Anas (40 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Late Pleistocene (393 fossils)
The fossils of saber-tooth cats, giant woolly mammoths, and American mastodons make of much of . Prehistoric sharks and horses also lived in the Sunshine State based on relics found in the region. Plant City is home to , which features hundreds of life-sized dinosaurs.
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#4. New Mexico
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 935
- Genus with the most fossils: Hadrosauridae (197 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Campanian (569 fossils)
The San Juan Basin is one of the most well-preserved dinosaur fossil sites in the state, one of four featuring well-preserved Tyrannosaurus fossils. Ghost Ranch is home to Whittaker Quarry, which the site of the oldest North American dinosaur fossil.
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#3. Montana
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 940
- Genus with the most fossils: Hadrosauridae (74 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Maastrichtian (432 fossils)
The was found in Montana in 1854 near Judith Landing. Paleontologist Barnum Brown uncovered the first T. rex bone in 1902 near Hell Creek, and Leonardo, a Brachylophosaurus found near Malta, is the world’s best-preserved dinosaur, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
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#2. Wyoming
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 1,118
- Genus with the most fossils: Theropoda (62 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Maastrichtian (380 fossils)
One of just two states that have more than 1,000 PBDB-recorded fossils, Wyoming was where the In 2013, in Newcastle nearly intact, with evidence that at least one suffered a violent end at the hands of a Tyrannosaurus. .
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#1. California
- Total fossils recorded in PBDB: 1,988
- Genus with the most fossils: Phalacrocorax (89 fossils)
- Time period with the most fossils: Late Pleistocene (747 fossils)
The has a collection of more than 300 fossils and 20 fully reconstructed dinosaurs on display in the Jane G. Pisano Dinosaur Hall. The only two known fossils from Augustynolophus, a duck-billed plant-eater, were discovered near Fresno around 1940, becoming California’s state dinosaur in 2017. More than 100 digs have been performed in the La Brea Tar Pits, including one to install a parking garage in 2006 that uncovered a nearly full Columbian mammoth.
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