Los Angeles subway dig finds prehistoric artifacts

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scientists have long known that years before hipsters and tourists were trekking along Los Angeles' Miracle Mile, dinosaurs were doing so.

Now, thanks to a subway dig, they're discovering that sea lions may have been there, too.

The Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/1eElM18 ) reports that an exploratory subway shaft dug down the street from the La Brea Tar Pits has uncovered a treasure trove of other prehistoric artifacts in the land where dinosaurs roamed.

The artifacts include mollusks, asphalt-saturated sand dollars and possibly the mouth of a sea lion.

The sea creatures' residency dates back millions of years, to a time when the Pacific Ocean extended several miles inland.

The shaft was dug ahead of work scheduled next year to extend a subway line across LA's West side.