Life-size kangaroo is Australia’s oldest discovered art

A kangaroo painted in red ochre in a rock shelter in remote northwestern Australia is at least 17,100 years old — the oldest rock art yet dated on the continent. It’s difficult to determine the age of Australian rock art because the region’s ancient artists didn’t tend to use organic materials that can be radiocarbon dated. In this case, researchers analysed fossilised mud-wasp nests laying over and under the art. Alongside the kangaroo, the richly decorated cave includes images interpreted as a boomerang, a reclining human figure and a 3-metre-long snake.