Page 71 - The Restless Earth Fossils

70 Fossils

Paleontologist Carrie Lambert uncovers 30,000-year-old fossils
near a leg bone of the second largest mastodon found on North
America’s West Coast, at an excavation pit in California in 1997.
Many mastodons have been found at the site, including the
largest one found on the West Coast, named Max, discovered
in 1995.

After they gain experience looking for a variety of fos-
sils, paleontologists may decide to specialize in one area that
particularly excites them. This way, they get to know one group
of creatures very well and may become the local go-to person
for that kind of fossil. Quite often, those fossils are the ones
found close to home—perhaps those literally just beneath a
collector’s feet.

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