Millions of ancient fossils were discovered underneath a California high school and it's rewriting the state's history. Take a look.

<p class="ingestion featured-caption">The courtyard of San Pedro High School where millions of fossils were found.Austin Hendy/Courtesy of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Construction at a high school uncovered <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fossil-discovery-california-ancient-elephants-camels-dogs-2021-5">millions of fossils</a> dating back nearly 9 million years.</li><li>The fossils include unique species of fish that had never been found in the area before.</li></ul><p>For decades, students at San Pedro High walked over millions of ancient fossils hidden beneath the concrete.</p><p>During a recent construction project, <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sinkhole-south-dakota-mammoth-fossils-discovered-2024-8">workers discovered</a> the massive collection, which includes some fossils dating back nearly 9 million years.</p><p>It turned out to be one of the largest marine <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/la-brea-tar-pits-uncover-mammoths-saber-tooth-cats-2024-4">fossil sites in all of California</a>. </p><p>Some of the discoveries are unique, including species that were previously unknown in the area, including a saber-tooth salmon.</p><p>The fossils also suggest there may have been an island to the west of the site when <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/toothless-walrus-fossil-new-species-extinct-skull-2024-2">water covered the land millions of years ago</a>.</p><p>"The SPHS fossil discovery is changing how a lot of people think about California geology," Wayne Bischoff, the director of cultural resources at Envicom Corporation, told Business Insider via email.</p><p>Envicom Corporation helped evaluate the site's fossils, which include an amazing array of animals and plants.</p><p>Construction continued on the school's new buildings, but not before experts excavated 80% of the fossils.</p><p>Photos show some of their discoveries, but there are countless more specimens to sift through.</p>