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Decades-Old Fossil Collection Reveals a Rare New Ice Age Species
Photo: David Clode / Unsplash
Scientists studying the historic collections at Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits have discovered a previously unknown extinct amphibian species that had been preserved since the 1950s. Named Spea labreae, this ancient spadefoot toad represents an exceptionally rare find, becoming only the second extinct Pleistocene amphibian ever identified in North America.
Scientists studying the historic collections at Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits have discovered a previously unknown extinct amphibian species that had been preserved since the 1950s. Named Spea labreae, this ancient spadefoot toad represents an exceptionally rare find, becoming only the second extinct Pleistocene amphibian ever identified in North America.