TECH Signal 283
Extinct spadefoot toad species identified from La Brea Tar Pits fossils stored since the 1950s
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Researchers identified a new extinct amphibian species, Spea labreae, from fossils that had sat in the La Brea Tar Pits collections since the 1950s.
This is only the second extinct Pleistocene amphibian ever identified in North America, and it demonstrates that significant discoveries can still emerge from long-existing museum collections. Amphibians are useful climate proxies because they stay local and are sensitive to environmental change.
Written by elseif from the cluster below · every claim links back to a sourceThe three things worth knowing
The extinct Ice Age spadefoot toad, named Spea labreae, is the first new extinct amphibian species discovered at La Brea Tar Pits.
The fossils had been in collections since the 1950s before a researcher noticed features distinguishing them from known species.
Amphibians are valuable climate proxies because they rarely travel far and respond directly to environmental changes.
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