In the rugged landscapes of South Africa, ancient rock art panels created by the San people—one of the region’s earliest inhabitants—have long intrigued researchers.
Among these works is a particularly enigmatic depiction found in the “Horned Serpent” panel, which showcases various animals and cultural symbols.
Painted between 1821 and 1835, this panel has been the focus of numerous studies. Recently, a mysterious long-bodied animal with downward-facing tusks has sparked a new theory: it could represent an extinct species that roamed the Earth long before the age of dinosaurs.
The creature in question doesn’t resemble any modern species known to inhabit the area. While San rock art often depicts elements of the local environment, from animals to natural phenomena, this figure stands out.
![A, general view of the Horned Serpent panel photographed in 2024 by the author. B, close up of the section figured in Stow and Bleek’s [13] plate 39. C, close up of the tusked animal. D, close up of the warriors painted below the Horned Serpent panel. E, close up of the warriors painted to the right of the panel.](https://i0.wp.com/www.labrujulaverde.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/journal.pone_.0309908.g002.jpg?w=780&ssl=1)
According to researcher Julien Benoit, the painting may have been inspired by the fossilized remains of an extinct species rather than a living one. South Africa’s Karoo Basin, known for its wealth of well-preserved fossils, provides a key context for this theory.
The Karoo is home to numerous fossilized remains, including those of an ancient species known as dicynodonts. These tusked, herbivorous creatures belong to a group of prehistoric reptiles that lived over 250 million years ago, long before dinosaurs appeared.
Dicynodont fossils are often found partially exposed due to natural erosion, making them accessible to the people who lived in the region. These fossils might have captured the attention of the San people and made their way into their artistic and cultural expressions.
Benoit’s theory suggests that the creature depicted in the Horned Serpent panel could be an artistic representation of a dicynodont. If true, this would mean the San people recognized and incorporated the fossilized remains of these long-extinct creatures into their culture and belief systems.
The mythologies of the San people include references to large, powerful animals that once roamed the region but have since disappeared—a theme that aligns with the concept of extinct species.
What makes this theory even more remarkable is the timing. The painting of the tusked animal would have been created at least ten years before the Western scientific community first described dicynodonts.
In 1845, British paleontologist Richard Owen officially classified these creatures, but the San may have already been aware of their existence through their encounters with fossils, integrating them into their worldviews and rock art.
There is some archaeological evidence to suggest that the San people collected fossils, possibly viewing them as relics of a bygone era. However, the extent of this knowledge remains underexplored, particularly in Africa.
Benoit emphasizes the significance of this discovery, stating, This work supports the idea that the early inhabitants of southern Africa, the San hunter-gatherers, discovered fossils, interpreted them, and integrated them into their rock art and belief system.
SOURCES
Benoit J (2024) A possible later stone age painting of a dicynodont (Synapsida) from the South African Karoo. PLoS ONE 19(9): e0309908. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309908
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