Workers digging underground found fossils of ancient mammals that roamed the area about 11,000 years ago. The historic treasure trove included bones of extinct animals such as mammoths and mastodons.
Paleontologist Dr. Ashley Leger leads a team that works alongside construction crews to search for fossils. Their discoveries began with bones of mammoths that roamed the area during the Ice Age. A large tusk fragment, at least 11,000 years old, and a nearly complete skull were found.
“This is a paleontologist’s dream,” Leger said. “It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to do research in a subway passing through a fossil-rich area.”
In this Aug. 15, 2017 photo, a skull of a young Columbian mammoth found at the construction site of the Metro Purple Line extension is placed on a cart at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles subway system is expanding and so too are the number of prehistoric fossils being recovered as crews dig beneath the city. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
In this Aug. 15, 2017 photo, a worker operates a backhoe at the construction site of the Metro Purple Line extension in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles subway system is expanding and so too are the number of prehistoric fossils being recovered as crews dig beneath the city. Since work on one extension began in 2014, workers have routinely turned up fossilized remains of rabbits, camels, bison and other creatures that roamed the region during the last Ice Age. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
“There’s a rich history under everyone’s feet that everyone overlooks. So we’re opening people’s eyes, opening their imaginations and bringing the past to life.”
More and more clues about the ancient past are found in the tunnel – a leg bone from an extinct camel and a mastodon tooth.
