This partly flooded chamber contains most of the motifs. (A Ruiz-Redondo/V Barciela/X Mart)
Science Alert has a story about the discovery of cave art in Spain. The art is dated to about 24,000 years old. It was found on the walls of a cave at the Cova Dones site near Spain's Mediterranean coast. The cave has been known by locals for many years, but the art was somehow overlooked. There are pictures of at least 19 wild animals. The paintings were studied by researchers from the University of Zaragoza and University of Alicante in Spain. The research was published in the journal Antiquity.
Located at a site called Cova Dones near Spain's Mediterranean coast, the cave holds a wealth of well-preserved rock art made by humans more than 24,000 years ago, the study's authors report, including at least 19 portrayals of wildlife.
In addition to several horses and red deer (plus a pair of unidentified animals), the researchers found two depictions of aurochs – an extinct bovine species believed to be the ancestor of modern cattle.
"When we saw the first painted auroch, we immediately acknowledged it was important," says study co-author Aitor Ruiz-Redondo, senior lecturer of prehistory at the University of Zaragoza in Spain and research affiliate at the University of Southampton in the U.K.