Closure Advisory ⚠️ Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our visitors and staff, the Museum will close at 3pm on Wednesday, December 24, due to the impending storms. Stay safe and dry out there!

✔️ Enter the Lake Pit ✔️ Selfie with the Columbian mammoth family ✔️ Sort real microfossils ✔️ Support our science Dig deep into the history and discoveries of La Brea #TarPits with our first-ever official Insider Tour on select dates: go.nhm.org/tar-pits-tour

Did you know Hancock Park is home to plants that echo L.A.’s Ice Age past? #TarPits scientists have recreated this prehistoric landscape with the Pleistocene Garden, representing the native vegetation of the L.A. Basin 10,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Ever wanted exclusive access to the #TarPits? Beginning December 20, join an expert guide on select dates for a tour of the site, meet researchers, sort real micro fossils, and fuel crucial research while inspiring the next generation of paleontologists.  Book your tour: go.nhm.org/tar-pits-tour

From saber-toothed cats to P-22, L.A. has been the home of iconic big cats for ages. In celebration of “Fierce! The Story of Cats” on view at @nhm.org, meet some of the bygone big cats that called the South Land home. youtu.be/-PvAbUGnxgc

🦌 Small but speedy! The Dwarf Pronghorn once darted across Ice Age Los Angeles, a tiny relative of today’s pronghorns that called the region home thousands of years ago. Fossils found at the #TarPits help us uncover how these pint-sized runners thrived in a world of giants.

🎁 Still looking for that special gift? From dinosaurs to fierce felines, celebrate the holiday season with #NHMLAC gifts that spark awe! Shop exclusive collections both in-store and online: shop.nhm.org

🫏 How did donkeys and pumas help resurrect extinct food webs in Death Valley? Learn how #TarPits research reveals how mountain lions have adapted lost Ice Age predator-prey dynamics, while restoring desert wetlands through preying on wild donkeys: bit.ly/BurroingInto...

Discover how 20,000 years after the ice age’s coldest snap, Los Angeles is still the city of cats through #TarPits research and “Fierce! The Story of Cats”, on view now at @nhm.org. nhm.org/cats

🦴 Meet the short-faced bear, one of the Ice Age’s biggest, baddest predators. Although only portions of these unique species have been uncovered at the #TarPits, scientists have pieced together the most up-to-date look into the history of this massive Ice Age mammal.

Are you familiar with the fiercest Ice Age Angeleno? Beyond their size, evidence from #TarPits research suggests American lions lived up to the name 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘹, which translates to "cruel or frightful panther": go.nhm.org/biggest-cat

🦴 Ever wonder how fossils are uncovered from the #TarPits? Scientists carefully excavate Ice Age remains—bone by bone—from bubbling asphalt seeps right in the heart of L.A. Experience science in action at TARPITS.org.

🦃 Happy Thanksgiving! Did you know the wild turkey has fossil roots in L.A.? #TarPits researchers uncovered nearly 12,000 bones of a now-extinct turkey species from the Ice Age! Discover which turkeys walked the same ground we do today: bit.ly/TarPitsTurke...

In honor of #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth, our Museums will offer free admission to all visitors from 3 - 5pm this Friday, November 21. Free tickets will be available at any on-site museum ticketing desk. The #NHMLAC is proud to offer this general admission benefit at both @tarpits.org and @nhm.org.

Did you know 1 in 4 people in L.A. County experiences food insecurity? Beginning November 14, help make a difference this season by donating to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank during your next visit to @nhm.org or #TarPits. For food assistance, suggested items, and more, visit lafoodbank.org.

🪏😱 We're digging up the best of Project 23! Hidden in the tar are fossils too small to see with the naked eye: pollen grains. These microscopic time capsules preserve clues about Ice Age landscapes, revealing what plants grew in ancient L.A. and how ecosystems shifted over thousands of years.

🌳 If a tree falls in the #TarPits, does it make a sound? A new study reveals how ancient trees from La Brea helped warm the planet during the last ice age by coughing up CO₂: go.nhm.org/fossil-trees

L.A. Times Columnist @pattmlatimes.bsky.social takes a short walk through a long history with Dr. Regan Dunn, who explains how and why the first Angelenos would have set fires that filled the broad bowl of L.A. and foretold the curse of smog in the podcast “Boiling Point: Smoglandia”, now streaming!

Over the last 50,000 years, Ice Age animals, plants, and insects were trapped in sticky asphalt, which preserved them for us to find today. Learn more about the countless discoveries made at the #TarPits at TARPITS.org

What lies within the depths of Los Angeles? Look back 80 million years and discover more at TARPITS.org.

😸 We're all about 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙨-tory! This #NationalCatDay, we're celebrating the fiercest felines of the Ice Age—like the mighty saber-toothed cat who once prowled right in the heart of L.A. Visit the #TarPits to discover more about these ancient predators!

Combining art and science, Mark Dion’s immersive, uncanny installation at La Brea #TarPits has been recently extended! Don’t miss “Excavations”, now on view through July 2026: go.nhm.org/mark-dion

Calling all Homeschool Teachers and Students! Thursday, October 30, join us at the #TarPits for our fall Homeschool Day, “Terrific Taphonomy!”, and learn how organisms become fossilized or preserved! Learn more and RSVP today: go.nhm.org/lbtp-hsd-1030

⏳ How old is Ice Age L.A.? Fossils from Project 23 tell us 35,000 to 45,000 years. Dating these findings provides scientists with a timeline to help piece together life in ancient Los Angeles. Discover more about through stories, videos, latest research, and more at TARPITS.org.

💩 Ready to join in the Dung Beetle Hunt?! (𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢.) Walk in the shoes of #TarPits scientists who ventured to a less-trodden part of Catalina Island to scout for dung beetles in bison poop: go.nhm.org/dung-beetle-...

🦝 Even amid mammoths and saber-tooths, raccoons were part of Ice Age Los Angeles too. A rare fossil from Project 23 shows one of these masked foragers once lived here—quiet, small, but surviving in the shadows of giants: bit.ly/RaccoonsofLA

🦴✨ Project 23's unearthed wonders coming through! In a single tablespoon of tar-soaked matrix from Project 23 at the #TarPits, scientists find dozens of fossils—from tiny seeds to small mammal bones. Discover how every grain matters at TARPITS.org.

🦴✨ We're bringing you Project 23's star discoveries! Did you know Zed, a Columbian mammoth, is the largest fossil uncovered in Project 23? Swipe to view a 3D model comparison to the real specimen on view in our Fossil Lab, and learn more about our unearthed wonders at TARPITS.org.

🐘 Meet Hayden, the Wilshire Boulevard Metro Mammoth! Found during Metro construction, learn how this Ice Age giant reminds us how cool Los Angeles really is: bit.ly/MetroMammoth...

🐯 How could a saber-toothed cat with congenital hip dysplasia survive into adulthood? Research suggests that a social structure helped members survive to adulthood, even when they were unable to hunt for themselves: bit.ly/SabertoothPe...

🍖 Hungry for History? Fossils from the #TarPits reveal the diets of saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and more—served straight from asphalt. Take a bite into prehistory: bit.ly/TarPitsPD

𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. Kick off the Halloween season at our Member-exclusive Haunted Museum event at #NHMLA! Join us after-hours as the Museum transforms into a world of spine-tingling and thrilling experiences on Saturday, October 4: go.nhm.org/hauntedmuseu... 👻 Thanks to our event sponsor Zolli Candy!

🐺 Dire wolves are not just fictional—more than 4,000 dire wolves have been found at La Brea Tar Pits, which is the richest Ice Age fossil site in the world. Learn more about this extinct species that once howled through the Ice Age at TARPITS.org

👀🦣 Can you spot all 8 hunters?

🐪 Think being stuck in L.A. traffic's a drag? Try getting stuck in its 𝘵𝘢𝘳. Meet 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘶𝘴, the Ice Age camel that once roamed North America: bit.ly/AncientCamelLA

From a trip to L.A. a few years ago, the @tarpits.org Page Museum's animatronic saber-toothed cat and giant ground sloth locked in an eternally looping Ice Age death struggle never fails to spark joy

🌴 In sunny California, shade is always a hot commodity, but during extreme heat, it becomes a necessity. Discover the changing tree line of L.A. through the lens of #TarPits fossils—and the evolving presence of shade in our warming climate: go.nhm.org/tp-shade

💡 Did you know that the Tar Pits' iconic Lake Pit is a pit left over from asphalt mining operations in the late 1800s? Uncover more about the past and Ice Age L.A. at TARPITS.org!

Thursday, August 21, join us at @nhm.org’s NHM Commons Theater for a special co-presentation with PBS SoCal: a screening of the series Human Footprint, episode “Vanishing Act,” featuring the #TarPits! Free with RSVP! View the event details and save your spot today: go.nhm.org/pbs-hf

⛏️ Did you know Pit 91 is an active excavation site where Ice Age fossils are uncovered every summer? Step into L.A. prehistory and see science in action for yourself—plan your visit today: TARPITS.org

For decades, scientists debated whether #climate change or human hunters were to blame. However, new evidence suggests a more complex and unsettling cause: a perilous combination of warming temperatures, ecological disruption, and the spread of fires—ignited by us. youtu.be/rhvP19QNqTE

The County of Los Angeles’ Chief Sustainability Office wants YOUR thoughts on their draft 2025 OurCounty Sustainability Plan! View the details and provide your comments now through August 22: cso.lacounty.gov/2025-ourcoun...

The #TarPits are a graveyard—and a survival story. Why some species survived while others didn’t isn’t just a mystery of the past—it’s a window into the future of life on a changing planet. Explore the stories written in asphalt: bit.ly/LBTPSurvival

🐿️ Ever been so hot you just wanted to sploot? That's one way some four-legged mammals (like this California ground squirrel) keep cool. From scaly reptiles to fluffy mammals, rising temperatures are impacting wildlife across Southern California and the globe: go.nhm.org/tp-shade

🦁 Meet 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘹, the American lion and the largest big cat to ever prowl the #TarPits. Fossils from La Brea are helping scientists piece together how this giant lived, hunted, and eventually disappeared. Step into the shadow of one of prehistory’s most powerful cats: bit.ly/LBTPAL

🪰 Tiny, tough, and thriving in tar! Meet the petroleum fly, the only known insect whose entire life cycle unfolds in asphalt. Get a closer look at these extreme survivors found at the #TarPits: bit.ly/TinyToughTar

Thursday, August 21, join us at @nhm.org's NHM Commons Theater for a special co-presentation with PBS SoCal: a screening of the series Human Footprint, episode “Vanishing Act,” featuring the #TarPits! Free with RSVP: go.nhm.org/pbs-hf 🦏 Presented in collaboration with PBS SoCal.

🪽 Meet one of L.A.’s tallest prehistoric residents— the La Brea Stork! Learn more about our feathered friends and view our one-of-a-kind discoveries at the La Brea Tar Pits!

Mark Dion's uncanny installation "Excavations" continues to showcase the #TarPits’ unparalleled cultural and scientific significance through art alongside early museum materials, dioramas, and maquettes of Ice Age mammals.  Explore the #pstART exhibit now through Sept. 15: tarpits.org/mark-dion-pst

🦬 Think bison are just plains animals? 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. These Ice Age heavyweights once thundered through what’s now Los Angeles—and they left their mark at the #TarPits: bit.ly/BisonHerd