A new Ice Age species was hiding in la brea tar pits fossils for decades
Researchers at the La Brea Tar Pits have identified a new extinct species of spadefoot toad, named Spea labreae, from fossil collections. This discovery marks the first new extinct amphibian species found at the site and offers insights into Ice Age climate conditions.
Why it matters
The discovery demonstrates the value of re-examining existing museum collections and provides new data for understanding prehistoric environmental changes.
Researchers at La Brea Tar Pits have identified a previously unknown amphibian that lived in Ice Age Los Angeles. The extinct spadefoot toad, now named Spea labreae , represents the first new extinct amphibian species discovered from the famous fossil site.
The find is exceptionally rare. Only one other extinct Pleistocene amphibian has been discovered in North America (a tree frog from Florida). Although S. labreae was tiny compared with the mammoths and saber toothed cats associated with La Brea Tar Pits, its fossils could provide important clues about the climate and environmental changes that occurred near the end of the last ice age.
The species is described in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . The discovery also highlights the new findings continuing to emerge from the Samuel Oschin Global Center for Ice Age Research at La Brea Tar Pits as the museum undergoes a historic transformation.
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