Los Angeles, California has long been home to San Pedro High School, where students have roamed the halls for years. However, what initially appeared to be a routine renovation project ultimately led to a remarkable discovery of ancient fossils on the school grounds. A plethora of fossils dating back millions of years have been unearthed since the first discovery in early 2023.
Dr. Wayne Bischoff, the director of cultural resources for Envicom Corporation, revealed that the school’s courtyard, previously unaffected by construction, yielded a significant number of fossil bones from the Late Miocene era during excavation work. The excavation process, which began in 2023, involved collaboration between Envicom Corporation, LAUSD, and Pinner Construction to document and preserve the fossil blocks.
The discovery under San Pedro High School, touted as one of the biggest fossil bonebeds ever found in California, has produced a variety of intriguing fossils. These include artifacts from species that existed when the Palos Verdes Peninsula was submerged underwater, such as megalodon shark teeth, sabretooth salmon jaw bones, sea turtle bones, baleen whale vertebrae, seabird bones, dolphin bones, and fossilized dolphin coprolites containing fish bones.
Among the fascinating findings were a number of fish species never before documented in Southern California, reinforcing the significance of the discovery in expanding scientific knowledge of the region’s prehistoric marine life.
Aside from its scientific value, the uncovering of these fossils has also presented a unique educational opportunity for students. While students were not permitted on the active excavation site, they have contributed to sorting and identifying fossils in the laboratory. Dr. Bischoff envisions a future where students will be actively involved in creating educational displays, murals, and showcasing recovered fossils from the site.
Currently, the fossils discovered are housed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, with smaller collections at LAUSD and the Cabrillo Aquarium. Additionally, large amounts of fossil blocks are stored at California State University Channel Islands, showcasing the far-reaching impact of this extraordinary find.