Looking westward from the White Pass area, near the upper Titanothere Canyon. It is in these formations, dating back some 30 to 35 million years, fossils can be found. One fossil found in 1933 was the skull of a rhino-like beast. Fossils of coral, one-toed horses, and even a mastodon suggest Death Valley was at one time a land of water and abundant food. Although the Death Valley of today is one of the hottest and driest places in North America, it boasts 1,042 plant species, 51 species of native mammal, 346 types of birds, 36 different reptiles, 6 types fish and 5 amphibian species. Imagine these numbers at a time when moisture was plentiful and food sources many and varied.
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