In the sticky oil seeps known as the La Brea Tar Pits, the tiny petroleum fly and their larvae thrive in the natural asphalt that oozes up to the surface. The larvae hunt among the fossilized bones of dire wolves, mammoths and saber-toothed cats.
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Thousands of years ago, ice age creatures like dire wolves, mammoths and saber-toothed cats met their end in the sticky oil seeps now known as the La Brea Tar Pits (@LaBreaTarPitsAndMuseum) . These tar pits, a window into the distant past, are located in the heart of Los Angeles, not far from West Hollywood and Beverly Hills.
But among these fossils, the tiny petroleum fly and their larvae not only survive but thrive in the natural asphalt that still oozes to the surface today.
While scientists aren’t entirely sure how, adult petroleum flies can walk and mate on the tar pits without getting their feet stuck. But if any other part of their body touches the asphalt, they’re doomed.
Their larvae, on the other hand, truly love this environment. They can fully submerge in the dark, viscous asphalt and feast on small insects that get trapped in it. As they eat, petroleum fly larvae end up ingesting a lot of asphalt, which you can see through their guts. Humans, however, could get cancer if we ingested that much asphalt.
The larvae need the asphalt to survive. While other insects rely on a waxy layer to protect them from the elements, the petroleum fly larvae’s exterior is so thin that it would dry out without the asphalt.
Living among the fossils, the petroleum fly, with unique adaptations and resilience, continues to be a mystery to scientists.
--- Are scientists still excavating the La Brea Tar Pits?
Yes. Scientists are working on two active excavation sites where they are still finding fossils of different plants and animals that have lived in the LA Basin between 50,000 years ago and today.
--- Are there dinosaurs in the La Brea Tar Pits?
A common misconception about the La Brea Tar pits is that they contain dinosaur bones. Dinosaurs went extinct about 65 million years before the tar pits began to form. The tar pits are an ice age fossil site that formed between 50,000 and 40,000 years ago.
--- Have they ever found human remains in the La Brea Tar Pits?
Yes. The partial skeleton of a human woman was discovered in 1914.
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