Fossil bird & rat bones with insects, Maricopa Tar Seeps, Kern County, California (Pleistocene)

This specimen is an agglomeration of several vertebrate and insect remains entombed in tar! The larger bones are from an unidentified bird, along with some rat toes bones and a rat jaw on the reverse side. A dragonfly head, additionally, is flanked by a pair of beetles (tropisternus). These fossils were collected in the 1970s by world famous fossil collector, the late, George Lee. George collected these on private oil company land, with full permission, at the Maricopa tar seeps (similar to the more famous La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles). These have been prepped out from the tar, by George Heslep of Florida, using other hydrocarbons which, I am sure, is a messy and challenging job! Mr Heslep has painstakingly researched and identified every individual fossil element in this piece. The locality is Late Pleistocene (Rancholabrean) in age. From Maricopa Tar Seeps, west side of the San Joaquin Valley, Kern County, California. Dimensions: 6.5 x 7.5 cm