Summary
- A mysterious animal painted on a cave wall in South Africa’s Free State Province is believed to be a dicynodont, an extinct species.
- The San, indigenous hunter-gatherers of the region, had knowledge of ancient fossils and may have discovered and depicted dicynodonts in their rock art.
- The painting predates the official discovery of dicynodonts by western scientists and suggests a deep indigenous knowledge of paleontology.
- Fossils found near the painting support the theory that the San discovered dicynodont remains and created their interpretation in art.