New Ice Age toad species discovered hiding in La Brea Tar Pits collections for decades

Scientists have identified a new extinct amphibian species, named Spea labreae, in fossil collections from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. The Ice Age spadefoot toad is only the second extinct Pleistocene amphibian ever identified in North America. Its bones had been sitting in museum collections since the 1950s before a researcher noticed features that distinguished it from known species.