A fascinating rock painting in a South African cave might be the first artwork of an animal that vanished 250 million years ago. The San people’s “Horned Serpent Panel” portrays a creature with tusks and a long body—a being that never existed in their time. This has scientists pondering whether ancient rock art might represent prehistoric animals long before modern science recorded them.
Painted between 1821 and 1835, the panel showcases common local animals, but one peculiar figure grabs attention. Researchers now believe the San may have been inspired by fossil remains of the dicynodont, a plant-eating reptile that roamed the Earth millions of years ago.
The San people have a rich history of creating rock art that captures animals, humans, and mythical beings. One image that stands out on the “Horned Serpent Panel” features an unusual tusked creature. This figure has puzzled scientists for years. Julien Benoit, a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand, notes that fossilized remains of long-extinct species are common in this region. He suggests that these ancient bones could have influenced San mythology, inspiring them to depict beings that lived long before humans arrived.
The Karoo Basin, where this rock art is found, is one of the richest fossil sites globally, with remains from creatures that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. A study in PLOS ONE reveals that dicynodonts share features similar to those of the creature represented by the San.
“I first saw the reproduction of this tusked animal in the Stow and Bleek book on San rock art, and it instantly struck me that this could very well be a dicynodont,” Benoit said.
He points out that dicynodont fossils are plentiful around the rock painting site, suggesting a historical connection that the San recognized long ago.
“This finding is remarkable. It indicates that the San were engaging in an early form of paleontology, understanding creatures long before modern scientists even discovered them,” he added in a statement.
The link between myths and fossils isn’t new, but the San rock art is an extraordinary example of how cultures may have recorded extinct species. While they likely regarded the creature as a spiritual being, their artwork might be the earliest known illustration of an extinct animal by the time humans emerged.
“The dicynodont could have been portrayed as a ‘rain animal,’ a mythical being in San cosmology, indicating its special importance in their culture,” Benoit explained.
Exploring how these ancient stories connect with real prehistoric creatures could unveil how early humans understood their world. Benoit suggests that this painting offers compelling evidence that the San not only found these fossils but also envisioned the living creatures in their art.
