This bone assemblage was recovered from the Maricopa asphalt seep in Southern California in the 1960's and 1970’s. Included are a coyote jaw, canine and three vertebrae. There are also at least 23 other bones from birds.

Obtaining ‘tar pit’ fossils is nearly impossible today, unless from an old collection or from private property. George Lee, a prominent fossil collector collected and kept quite a bit of this material in his warehouse for decades. It wasn’t until his estate was liquidated in the early 2000’s that it saw the light of day again.

This specimen has been painstakingly prepared to showcase the amazing density of bones of unfortunate victims to the sticky, natural traps of the oozing asphalt seeps that California is known for.