HOLLYWOOD—Metro Purple Line Expansion Project uncovered over 500 pieces of fossils   dating back to the Ice Age on Tuesday, March 5.

Fossils like a juvenile ‘Columbian mammoth’ was one of many pieces dug up on Section 1 of the Purple Line project site, located at Wilshire/La Brea and Wilshire/Las Cienega.

“We are the paleontological team that’s there all day every day looking for fossils while the dirt is being moved. And this is just an example of some of the fossils that are coming out of the three stations,” paleontologist Ashley Leger told reporters during a press conference.

Prehistoric fossils like gophers, camels, bison, horses, giant ground sloths, sabertooth cats and dire wolves were also found. “We’re getting a beautiful picture of the Ice Age here in Southern California,” Leger added.

Additional Ice Age treasures are expected on the second and third phase in the coverage plan. Metro’s Expansion Project is schedule for completion by 2023. Fossil discoveries will be archived and placed for exhibition at the Natural History Museum or the La Brea Tar Pits.

In 2017, the U.S. Department of Transportation granted a $100 million of federal funding to implement Metro’s Subway Purple Line. Three sections are arranged so riders can extend trips to the Westside of Los Angeles, connecting to Beverly Hills, Westwood, Century City, and downtown Los Angeles by 2026.