Long before the dinosaurs walked on earth, there were already animals that survived in the wild, and a South African cave painting may be the key to finding these species.
In a study by Julien Benoit (2024), the now-extinct animal species lived more than 200 million years ago that they either went with dinosaurs or survived after their demise. Found in an archeology site called 'La Belle France' in South Africa, researchers named it as The Horned Serpent Panel.
(Photo : Screenshot from Julien Benoit's 'A possible later stone age painting of a dicynodont (Synapsida) from the South African Karoo' Study)
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Mysterious Extinct Animal from the South African Cave Art
According to Newsweek, Benoit suggested that the South African cave art depicts a dicynodont, which are fossils that are often found in the Karoo Basin, or where the La Belle France is located.
(Photo : Screenshot from Julien Benoit's 'A possible later stone age painting of a dicynodont (Synapsida) from the South African Karoo' Study)
ART News shared that the San people have been showing animals, environment and fossils into their artworks, some as far as 250 million years ago. These people transported fossils and integrated them in their art in accurate ways. In fact, Benoit stated that she was able to pinpoint the exact species of this cave animal because their anatomy is easy to interpret.
Besides, the San do not rely on their imaginary capability when it comes to paintings since the entirety of their art was animals that lived in the area. Benoit believes that it's a dicynodont because no walrus, saber-toothed cat, and tusked animals lived in the area or they are often too rare to catch.
The South African cave art was also painted 10 years before scientists formally recorded dicynodont fossils, which proves that they had known about it before its discovery.
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