More than 29,000 vertebrate fossils were recovered from the McKittrick tar seeps and brought back to Berkeley, ranging in size from the largest megafauna like sloths and elephant-relatives to the smallest birds, lizards, and mice. Study of these fossils allows us to understand the diversity of ancient life in the southern San Joaquin Valley and how dramatically it differs from the area today. Digitization of the collections allow selected images of the fossils below to be uploaded and shared via CalPhotos – a database of photos featuring images of specimens from the UCMP and the rest of the Berkeley Natural History Museums.
