Rat tibia
Late Pleistocene (Rancholabrean)
Rancho La Brea Formation
Maricopa Tar Pits
Kern County, California, USA
49mm rat tibia on 74mm matrix from the famous Tar Pits of California. Think of Ratatouille if he was stuck in tar.

The tar pits are famous for large predators but the deposits are valuable to paleoontologists for the richness of the fauna – the large and small animals preserved. Anyone who has processed tar matrix can tell you most of the remains found are from rodents and birds but they are usually broken.

Here is a fine tibia (the shin bone) that appears to be from a woodrat. It’s a nice piece for the collector who would like to have something from the tar pits.