Scientists discovered 200-year-old rock art in South Africa depicting a tusked creature, possibly linked to the ancient horned serpent of San legend. The painting, dated before the first scientific descriptions of dicynodonts, suggests the San may have drawn inspiration from fossils in the Karoo Basin.
Researchers hypothesize the horned serpent was part of rain-making ceremonies, blending fossil discoveries with cultural beliefs about extinct creatures.
Go Deeper
Archaeologists have recently made a remarkable discovery in South Africa: a 200-year-old rock painting that may depict a creature unknown to modern science. This creature, if it indeed existed, is believed to have gone extinct around 250 million years ago.
The discovery of this rock painting is not just a significant archaeological find, but it also opens up a new avenue of inquiry into the history of life on Earth.
The painting’s depiction of a creature that supposedly went extinct millions of years ago challenges our understanding of the timeline of life on our planet. It also raises intriguing questions about the knowledge and understanding of the indigenous people who created the painting.
Did they have access to information about extinct species, or is the creature a product of their imagination or cultural mythology?
Then again, it could merely be the work of a creative artist or it could be mythical.The San did engage in spirituality but usually based it on fact. It sounds like a stretch, however, it does stir the imagination and needs to be taken seriously.
