Pig-like animals called Peccaries have led scientists to ancient cave drawings in Brazil.
Researchers who were on the trail of Peccaries made an astounding and rare discovery of cave drawings etched in stone, which date back to thousands of years, showing birds, reptiles and armadillos.
According to archaeologists, who studied the rock art, the hunter-gatherers most likely created the drawings 4,000 to 10,000 years ago.
In 2009, researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) stumbled on the drawings when surveying the white-lipped Peccarries in the Cerrado plateau, a savanna region in Brazil.
"Since we often work in remote locations, we sometimes make surprising discoveries, in this case, one that appears to be important for our understanding of human cultural history in the region," said Alexine Keuroghlian, a researcher with WCS's Brazil program, in a statement.
Peccaries travel long distances and are taken to be indicators of healthy forests. While tracking the Peccaries in Corguinho, researchers came across several sandstone formations with caves that contained the artwork.
Per archaeologists, the manner in which the drawings are made are quite diverse. Some drawings bear a semblance to the artistic style from the central Brazilian plateau, whereas others seem to imbibe the northeastern Brazil artistic style. Moreover, apart from geometric shapes and human figures, several animals were represented ranging from big cats to birds and reptiles and armadillos, but no Peccaries.
"These discoveries of cave drawings emphasize the importance of protecting the Cerrado and Pantanal ecosystems, both for their cultural and natural heritage," Julie Kunen, director of WCS's Latin America and the Caribbean program, said in a statement. "We hope to partner with local landowners to protect these cave sites, as well as the forests that surround them, so that the cultural heritage and wildlife depicted in the drawings are preserved for future generations," per the journal Revista Clio Arqueológica (translated).
The white-lipped Peccary, which has the scientific name Tayassu pecari, is a vulnerable species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
