click photo to enlarge |
From time to time, the asphalt in the tar pits would form a deposit thick
enough to trap animals, and the surface would be covered with layers of
water, dust, or leaves. Animals would wander in, become trapped, and
eventually die. Predators would enter to eat the trapped animals and also
become stuck. Among finds on the grounds are remains of a mammoth,
saber-toothed cat, six dire wolves, bison, horses, a giant ground sloth,
turtles, snails, clams, millipedes, fish, gophers, and an American lion. |
