The Mammoths and Mastodons exhibit was recently unveiled at the George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits. This travelling exhibition originated at the Field Museum in Chicago and has since travelled around the world from New York to London to Sydney and now come to rest at the Tar Pits where, just steps outside the front door, mammoths and mastodons are being excavated from Pit 91.

Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, president and director of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, welcomed the exhibit while standing in front of the 3D modeled Columbian mammoth, a cousin of the Wooly mammoth and the most common type of mammoth found in the pits. The travelling exhibit is seamlessly mixed in with the standing collection, giving both an update to the existing exhibits and a sense of unity for the travelling exhibition.

Among the updates and additions are hands-on exhibits on mammoth skulls, tusk growth and more. One such update is the addition of the American scimitar-toothed cat, a smaller distant relative of the more famous and commonly-found-in-the-pits, saber-toothed cat. The scimitar-toothed cat is included in the new exhibition because it is considered to be the most successful hunter of mammoths.

The exhibition is now open. The La Brea Tar Pits are located at 5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles.