Construction workers on the subway project in Los Angeles unearthed prehistoric fossils of ancient mammals. The workers were excavating the tunnels when they discovered bones from extinct beasts, like mammoths and mastodons, which roamed the area about 11,000 years ago.
Paleontologist Dr. Ashley Leger oversees a team that is searching for fossils. The team works alongside construction crews. They found a three-foot section of tusk that’s at least 11,000 years old, and a nearly complete skull at the site.
“It’s a dream come true for a paleontologist,” Leger said to CBS News correspondent Carter Evans, who went into the subway construction tunnels with the team. “This is the bucket list you always want to find at some point in your career. And then it’s one of the first things we found here.”
Dave Sotero, who works for Los Angeles’ Metro, said this is probably the best job in town for a paleontologist because it’s not every day that you have a subway project going through a “rich fossil area.” The construction project is nearing the famous La Brea Tar Pits, site of many fossil finds. Leger believes more fossils will turn up as they get closer. Just a couple of inches of tar was enough to trap even the most massive animals.
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