So this was kind of a mistake photo. I was trying to get the mammoth and the building in the background, and did not take into account the light. But I like the effect.
This was taken at the La Brea Tar Pits, a truly interesting place. It is one of the most productive (in terms of numbers of ice age fossils found) tar pits in the world. It is only a few minutes drive from downtown LA, and still very much in the center of the city. The museum and associated pits is only about a block and a half wide. The park still has very active tarpits, with new tar bubbling up on the grass all the time. (Visitors are advised to stick to the sidewalks)
The pits have unearthed over 1500 dire wolves, as well as, sabertooth cats, american lions, mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths, camels, horses, short face bears, and very larger condor-like birds (to name a few). If you ever go to a museum and see a sabertooth cat or dire wolf skeleton that is very dark brown, chances are it came from La Brea (the color comes from the tar staining it). The pits are so filled, because unlike most tar pits, they were near a major body of fresh water. Migrating herds would lose members in the tar, and then the predators (like the wolves) would try to eat them and get stuck as well. This in turn attracted more predators/scavengers. Inside the museum there is a huge chunk of asphalt, with tons of bones embedded in it, taken directly from outside. It's amazing.
9 comments:
One thing with photo hunt I take the opportunity to see other blogs that general wouldn't.
I thought it was interesting that you mention fossils and other prehistoric animals.
My hubby and I like to spend time out door looking for the rare or interesting fine.
He found some trilbites and we found what we believe are fossils.
My picture is up.
that's a dramatic show of lights...simply beautiful! happy photo-hunting!
What a beautiful picture! Perfect for this week's PH theme!
Some photos just work by accident!
That is an interesting effect you got with the sun!
I was there as a kid on a family vacation. I'm sure I didn't care all that much at the time :)
Nice catch for this week theme, Happy weekend! Mine's up too hope you can drop by.
One of these days I will get out to La Brea!
Re: the whale was feeding on sand lances. Yes it was a habitat study, fish habitat primarily, but also inverts. Video transects with still photo as well. Fun!
Oh, heavens. I would love this place! I'm a science nerd in my heart... I'm just too scared to go back to college to finish now. :-(
This is lovely, though!
Not all learning happens in college. As long as you want to learn, there are ways of getting more knowledge (watching cool documentaries, going to museums, or open to the public lectures.
There's been a lot of emphasis on 'book learning', but I think experiance is a better teacher!
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