Researchers tracking white-lipped peccaries in Brazil got the surprise of a lifetime. The team discovered ancient cave drawings made by hunter-gatherer societies thousands of years ago. The remarkable drawings are diverse and add significantly to our knowledge of rock art from the Cerrado plateau region.

The extraordinary discovery was made on Brazil’s Cerrado plateau in 2009, while the team was conducting surveys and collecting data on the pig-like peccaries. These animals are important indicators of healthy forests but are sadly disappearing from the area due to deforestation and hunting.

Happening upon these cave drawings was an exciting archaeological achievement, but it also emphasizes the importance of protecting the Cerrado and Pantanal ecosystems for their cultural and natural heritage. Protecting these cave sites and the forests that surround them will mean the wildlife depicted in the drawings are preserved for future generations.

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