When Colonists Reached Australia, Aboriginal Artists Painted Giant Monsters

A giant creature coils across the ceiling of a rock shelter in northwestern Arnhem Land. It measures more than six metres from head to tail, but it is not really a snake.

Its head resembles a crocodile’s. A long tongue protrudes from a mouth packed with teeth, while fins line its body like those of a fish. Patterns across its form suggest ribs and a spine.

The researchers documented an unusual concentration of enormous rock paintings in northern Australia from the period when Aboriginal communities came into contact with Europeans. Several of the works are unique.

The creature is painted in the so-called X-ray style, which reveals internal structures such as bones and organs. The style has been practiced in the region for thousands of years.