09/22/2017
PROBISCISTUM
[pro-bis’kis-tum]
At the end of the Cretaceous Period, between the Paleozoic and Cenozoic eras, in the Schizoic epoch, as the Pacific Ocean receded, a vast land mass was created. This area, at the intersection of the Mid and North Pacific tetonic plates, became highly unstable.
“A great land upheaval created a series of valleys and mountains throughout what is now Southern California and Western Arizona,” said Penelope Combs, director of the Museum of Speculative Paleontology, located in Los Angeles, California.
Because this area was originally underwater, a few amphibious species flourished. The most unusual of these species was the probiscustum, composed of both plant and animal elements.
Recently unearthed from an anthropological dig in southeastern Los Angeles is a remarkable find. A rare grouping of Probiscitum thought to be extinct has been discovered.