Ancient Sloth, Bison Bones Found Under Crenshaw During Metro Line Work

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) – Fossils bones found several feet underground in Park Mesa Heights by crews conducting excavation work for a Metro transit project have been identified as belonging to a sloth and an ancient bison.

Metro reported Thursday that a bison bone fragment and sloth hip joint were found in sandy clay about 16 feet under Crenshaw Boulevard, between 63rd Street and Hyde Park Boulevard.

They were identified May 24 by a paleontology expert with the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, according to Metro.

It's unclear what kind of sloth the hip bone belonged to. Harlan's Ground Sloth, the most common species of sloth, weighed up to 1,500 pounds and were 10 feet long, Metro said.

The bones will be transferred to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

The crews who discovered the bones were working on the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project. When complete, it will connect the Expo Line to the Green Line.