La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
@tarpits.org
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
http://linktr.ee/thelabreatarpits
🌳 If a tree falls in the #TarPits, does it make a sound? A new study reveals how ancient trees from La Brea helped warm the planet during the last ice age by coughing up CO₂: go.nhm.org/fossil-trees
November 10, 2025 at 9:54 PM
🌳 If a tree falls in the #TarPits, does it make a sound? A new study reveals how ancient trees from La Brea helped warm the planet during the last ice age by coughing up CO₂: go.nhm.org/fossil-trees
L.A. Times Columnist @pattmlatimes.bsky.social takes a short walk through a long history with Dr. Regan Dunn, who explains how and why the first Angelenos would have set fires that filled the broad bowl of L.A. and foretold the curse of smog in the podcast “Boiling Point: Smoglandia”, now streaming!
November 4, 2025 at 10:49 PM
L.A. Times Columnist @pattmlatimes.bsky.social takes a short walk through a long history with Dr. Regan Dunn, who explains how and why the first Angelenos would have set fires that filled the broad bowl of L.A. and foretold the curse of smog in the podcast “Boiling Point: Smoglandia”, now streaming!
Over the last 50,000 years, Ice Age animals, plants, and insects were trapped in sticky asphalt, which preserved them for us to find today.
Learn more about the countless discoveries made at the #TarPits at TARPITS.org
Learn more about the countless discoveries made at the #TarPits at TARPITS.org
November 3, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Over the last 50,000 years, Ice Age animals, plants, and insects were trapped in sticky asphalt, which preserved them for us to find today.
Learn more about the countless discoveries made at the #TarPits at TARPITS.org
Learn more about the countless discoveries made at the #TarPits at TARPITS.org
What lies within the depths of Los Angeles? Look back 80 million years and discover more at TARPITS.org.
October 31, 2025 at 5:08 PM
What lies within the depths of Los Angeles? Look back 80 million years and discover more at TARPITS.org.
😸 We're all about 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙨-tory!
This #NationalCatDay, we're celebrating the fiercest felines of the Ice Age—like the mighty saber-toothed cat who once prowled right in the heart of L.A.
Visit the #TarPits to discover more about these ancient predators!
This #NationalCatDay, we're celebrating the fiercest felines of the Ice Age—like the mighty saber-toothed cat who once prowled right in the heart of L.A.
Visit the #TarPits to discover more about these ancient predators!
October 29, 2025 at 6:07 PM
😸 We're all about 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙨-tory!
This #NationalCatDay, we're celebrating the fiercest felines of the Ice Age—like the mighty saber-toothed cat who once prowled right in the heart of L.A.
Visit the #TarPits to discover more about these ancient predators!
This #NationalCatDay, we're celebrating the fiercest felines of the Ice Age—like the mighty saber-toothed cat who once prowled right in the heart of L.A.
Visit the #TarPits to discover more about these ancient predators!
Combining art and science, Mark Dion’s immersive, uncanny installation at La Brea #TarPits has been recently extended! Don’t miss “Excavations”, now on view through July 2026: go.nhm.org/mark-dion
October 24, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Combining art and science, Mark Dion’s immersive, uncanny installation at La Brea #TarPits has been recently extended! Don’t miss “Excavations”, now on view through July 2026: go.nhm.org/mark-dion
Calling all Homeschool Teachers and Students! Thursday, October 30, join us at the #TarPits for our fall Homeschool Day, “Terrific Taphonomy!”, and learn how organisms become fossilized or preserved! Learn more and RSVP today: go.nhm.org/lbtp-hsd-1030
October 22, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Calling all Homeschool Teachers and Students! Thursday, October 30, join us at the #TarPits for our fall Homeschool Day, “Terrific Taphonomy!”, and learn how organisms become fossilized or preserved! Learn more and RSVP today: go.nhm.org/lbtp-hsd-1030
⏳ How old is Ice Age L.A.? Fossils from Project 23 tell us 35,000 to 45,000 years.
Dating these findings provides scientists with a timeline to help piece together life in ancient Los Angeles.
Discover more about through stories, videos, latest research, and more at TARPITS.org.
Dating these findings provides scientists with a timeline to help piece together life in ancient Los Angeles.
Discover more about through stories, videos, latest research, and more at TARPITS.org.
October 22, 2025 at 7:50 PM
⏳ How old is Ice Age L.A.? Fossils from Project 23 tell us 35,000 to 45,000 years.
Dating these findings provides scientists with a timeline to help piece together life in ancient Los Angeles.
Discover more about through stories, videos, latest research, and more at TARPITS.org.
Dating these findings provides scientists with a timeline to help piece together life in ancient Los Angeles.
Discover more about through stories, videos, latest research, and more at TARPITS.org.
💩 Ready to join in the Dung Beetle Hunt?! (𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢.) Walk in the shoes of #TarPits scientists who ventured to a less-trodden part of Catalina Island to scout for dung beetles in bison poop: go.nhm.org/dung-beetle-...
October 20, 2025 at 6:07 PM
💩 Ready to join in the Dung Beetle Hunt?! (𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢.) Walk in the shoes of #TarPits scientists who ventured to a less-trodden part of Catalina Island to scout for dung beetles in bison poop: go.nhm.org/dung-beetle-...
🦝 Even amid mammoths and saber-tooths, raccoons were part of Ice Age Los Angeles too. A rare fossil from Project 23 shows one of these masked foragers once lived here—quiet, small, but surviving in the shadows of giants: bit.ly/RaccoonsofLA
October 11, 2025 at 8:34 PM
🦝 Even amid mammoths and saber-tooths, raccoons were part of Ice Age Los Angeles too. A rare fossil from Project 23 shows one of these masked foragers once lived here—quiet, small, but surviving in the shadows of giants: bit.ly/RaccoonsofLA
🦴✨ 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.
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.
October 8, 2025 at 6:04 PM
🦴✨ 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.
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.
🦴✨ 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.
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.
October 1, 2025 at 5:08 PM
🦴✨ 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.
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.
🐘 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...
September 26, 2025 at 7:08 PM
🐘 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...
🐯 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...
September 23, 2025 at 5:01 PM
🐯 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...
🍖 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
Take a bite into prehistory: bit.ly/TarPitsPD
September 17, 2025 at 6:15 PM
🍖 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
Take a bite into prehistory: bit.ly/TarPitsPD
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!
👻 Thanks to our event sponsor Zolli Candy!
September 15, 2025 at 11:41 PM
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!
👻 Thanks to our event sponsor Zolli Candy!
🐺 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
Learn more about this extinct species that once howled through the Ice Age at TARPITS.org
September 8, 2025 at 7:15 PM
🐺 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
Learn more about this extinct species that once howled through the Ice Age at TARPITS.org
👀🦣 Can you spot all 8 hunters?
September 4, 2025 at 7:57 PM
👀🦣 Can you spot all 8 hunters?
🐪 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
September 2, 2025 at 5:11 PM
🐪 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
Reposted by La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
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
August 26, 2025 at 3:51 PM
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
🌴 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
August 27, 2025 at 4:37 PM
🌴 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
💡 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!
August 25, 2025 at 8:31 PM
💡 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!
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
Free with RSVP! View the event details and save your spot today: go.nhm.org/pbs-hf
August 19, 2025 at 9:20 PM
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
Free with RSVP! View the event details and save your spot today: go.nhm.org/pbs-hf
⛏️ 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
August 18, 2025 at 9:11 PM
⛏️ 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
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
youtu.be/rhvP19QNqTE
The Mysterious Mass Extinction Hidden in LA
YouTube video by PBS Terra
youtu.be
August 15, 2025 at 7:42 PM
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
youtu.be/rhvP19QNqTE