The La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California, Are a Window Into Ancient History

The La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California, are a window into ancient history. This site holds the remains of animals that died in these pits many thousands of years ago. The remains of many kinds of prehistoric animals have been found in the tar pits. Like dinosaurs, many of these animals do not live today. Scientists have found huge elephant-like mammoths. They have found fi erce saber-toothed cats. They have even found dire wolves—animals that look like giant versions of the wolves you see today. The tar pits are pools of black, sticky oil. They formed when tar from under the ground started to rise to the surface of the earth. It bubbled up to the surface and formed the tar pits. Tar has been bubbling to the surface at La Brea for forty thousand years! So how did ancient animals die in these pits? Leaves, dust, and water often covered the tar pits. Sometimes an animal would go near the pits. The animal would not see the tar because it was covered. The animal would then walk into a tar pit and get stuck. For example, a mammoth would get its feet stuck in the tar and try to get free. The more it struggled, the deeper it would sink. Other animals might see the mammoth. They might think the mammoth looked like a tasty dinner. They would leap on it and get stuck, too. Eventually, the animals would sink all the way into the tar. Over the years, all but the animals’ skeletons disappeared. Then the tar hardened around the bones, creating fossils. Much later, people found the fossils in the tar. Scientists have also found fossils of plants in the tar pits. They have found hundreds of kinds of plants and animals. All together, they have found millions of fossils. Some of these fossils are big animals, such as mammoths. Others are too small to see with your eyes. All of them can help people learn about the past. So if you are ever in Los Angeles, stop by the La Brea Tar Pits for a look into ancient history!

COMPREHENSION Retell how ancient animals got stuck in the tar pits. Which words help you understand what people have found in the tar pits?

46 47 Mark’s room was very messy. It was scary, even. Huge piles of dirty clothes and yucky old apples littered his room. He even left rubbish, like candy bar wrappers and smelly cheese sandwiches, right on the fl oor. One day his mother opened the door and peered inside. “I can’t stand it anymore!” she cried angrily. “This room is a pigsty. I want you to clean it right now!” “Yeah sure, Mom. Later,” answered Mark. Mark lay on his bed thinking about cleaning his room. He yawned. He stretched. Soon, he was fast asleep. Then he had a very strange dream. In his dream, Mark’s mother opened the door again. “Here, piggy. Come get your dinner,” she said. Then she walked into his room carrying a bucket. The bucket was full of nasty table scraps. “Where’s your trough?” she asked. “All pigs have a trough. Oh, there it is.” Right beside his bed was a large wooden box. She poured the nasty table scraps into the box. Mark tried to talk, but the only sound he could make was a loud “Oink!” He quickly looked down at his feet. What was this? His feet had been replaced by hard, sharp hooves! He trotted over to the mirror. There, staring back at him, was a big pig. “Oh no!” he tried to say out loud, but the only sound he made was a frightened “Oink!” Mark’s room had not always been messy. His room had looked so nice before he spoiled it with garbage. Mark thought about how his mom told him not to waste things. He thought about how she told him to clean up and recycle. Now it was too late. He began to cry. He longed for a clean, unspoiled room. He wanted another chance. Then he woke up. He was a little boy once again. “Oh, I didn’t like that,” he said. “I did not like being a pig. Not at all.” Then he began to clean his room. He put the trash in the garbage can. He even made his bed. Soon his mother came back. “You cleaned your room!” she cried. “Thank you so much.”

COMPREHENSION How does turning into a pig change Mark’s life? Which words help you understand how messy Mark’s room is?

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