Finding complete tusks on an ancient mammoth skeleton is rare. These, found at a construction site by the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California, are extraordinary! (Photo courtesy Miranda Rector)
A Mammoth Find
Nearly complete ancient animal found in L.A.
You know you have to stop construction when the top of a mammoth head gets chopped off. This is how Project 23 began in Rancho La Brea Park in Los Angeles, California.
The Page Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits live next to the Los Angeles Community Museum of Art (LACMA) in downtown Los Angeles. About two years ago, during the building of an underground parking garage for the museum, workers uncovered massive amounts of fossils preserved in liquid asphalt. Construction stopped immediately and an archeological excavation began.
Hired excavators and volunteers are now working to dig out these fossils so the Page Museum and the Natural History Museum can study them.
"Every single bone you uncover, you're the very first person ever to see that bone," said Laura Tewksvury, an excavator with the Page Museum. "It's like treasure hunting for your job."
The name for Project 23 comes from the 23 tree crates being used to store the 3 to 4 million fossils uncovered so far.
Fossils reveal the habitat of the creature or plant unearthed. By studying the characteristics of the fossil, scientists can learn what the habitat must have been like thousands, even millions, of years ago. By comparing the differences between then and now, scientists can figure see how the species and habitats have evolved.
"Finding out all sorts of information about the past can teach us about the future," Tewksvury told the Scholastic Kids Press Corps during a recent tour of Project 23 and the Page Museum.
While the biggest scientific find may be the millions of smaller fossils being catalogued, the most spectacular find is the beheaded mammoth. Named Zed by the scientists studying him, the mammoth skeleton is 80 per cent complete! The bones from the male Columbian mammoth skeleton are so special he is kept separate from the 23 tree crates.
Zed is larger than most Columbian mammoth skeletons, including the one currently at the Page Museum. He will one day replace those bones. For now, however, his skeleton is being stored in the museum's Fish Bowl Lab. His skull is kept near the back exit of the museum, next to wheel chairs and lockers. It is protected by a cast-like "jacket."
Another fascinating Zed feature is his tusks. Since tusks easily perish, they are a very rare find. Excavators usually only unearth small fractions of the tusks when they find a skeleton. Zed's tusks are almost complete!
A flood that washed Zed into a riverbed has kept the bones and tusks in near-perfect condition. Also, few other animals died on top of him, which can break and scatter bones. Scientists can tell a lot about this animal just by studying the bones.
"This is a very exciting time for us," said July Takeda, a gallery interpreter for the Page Museum. "It's a time of new discoveries, and a great time for research and scientific studies."
For more information about the Page Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits, check out the museum website.
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The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary (revised and expanded Edition)
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The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary (revised and expanded Edition)
by Jeff Kinney and Jeff KinneyThe first Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie opened on March 19, 2010, and earned over $75 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful films of the year. With The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary, author Jeff Kinney shared his Hollywood experience on the set and explained to readers how a major motion picture gets made. That was just the beginning of the story. Now, in this revised and expanded edition, Jeff Kinney fills in the rest of the moviemaking process with more inside stories, new artwork, and exclusive images. Also included is a special sneak peek at Rodrick Rules, the new movie coming in March 2011. This revised and expanded edition of The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary is the perfect companion to the bestselling series.
About the Author:Jeff Kinney is an online game developer and designer, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. In 2009, Jeff was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife and their two sons.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules
by Jeff Kinney and Jeff KinneySecrets have a way of getting out, especially when a diary is involved.
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About the Author:Jeff Kinney is an online game developer and designer, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. In 2009, Jeff was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife and their two sons.
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Hilarious and extremely silly cartoons in two fun-packed albums by Jeff Kinney! As Greg always says, "Don't always expect me to be 'Dear Diary' this and 'Dear Diary' that." With so many new characters and silly stories, how can the fun ever end!
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books;hardcover books;hardcovers | Ages 8-13
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