Low chamber in the west zone Big-bellied horse painted in black 18,500 before the present This black horse, 68 cm long, is drawn with simple lines although the legs are slightly awkward. Some details, such as the eye, the lower jaw, and the mane done in parallel hatching, are well executed Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

South-west zone Black drawings in the shape of jellyfish Photo : J. Collina-Girard

South-west zone Horse painted on a wall and covered in digital markings 24,730 ± 30,000 before the present The animal is covered in engravings among which can be distinguished eight long parallel lines drawn diagonally across the flank. This animal is much older than the others. Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

South-west zone Fresco of Horses 18,820 ± 300 before the present These realistic horses are very similar in design: the same technique, the same style and thus probably the same author. They are all covered in various engravings. Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

Lower chamber in the west zone Deer painted in black This painting in black, discovered on a low ceiling in the west zone, is an accurate representation of a deer. One ear as well as the brow antler can be clearly distinguished. The antlers branch out realistically. As with the other animals painted on this ceiling, it is partly covered by white calcite crystals, particularly on the hindquarters. Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

Close to the large shaft Engraved seal Two long parallel lines completely cut through the animal at the level of the neck. Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

The submerged Main Chamber View from the east "The Beach", an inclined plane covered in calcite crystals, can be seen on the right. The underwater passage is situated to the left of this cliché. Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

Main Chamber, the east zone Panel of red hands 27,000 years before the present This negative image of a red hand was stencilled onto a wall covered in digital markings. It was then scored out with a series of slashes as if to erase it. Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

Main Chamber, in the east zone, outcrop of the vaulted ceiling Slain man Probably a human figure. In the engraving, the figure is shown lying on its back with legs and arms raised in the air. The figure is marked by a line drawn from top to bottom. Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

Situated on the eastern fault, A small engraved ibex with numerous scratches This small ibex with a cross-hatched belly has a massive body. The tail follows the line of the back but is disconnected from the hindquarters. The cross-hatching may symbolise its coat. Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

Main Chamber, in the east zone Bison 26,250 and 27,350 years before the present The drawing of this animal is not completed. The body is drawn in profile, the head from a three-quarter perspective and the horns full-face. Dated to 26,250 and 27,350 years ago, it raises the question of the contemporaneousness of the animal figures on the site. Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

Main Chamber, in the east zone The large bison 18,500 years before the present This bison, drawn in outline, shows some interesting features being among the largest animals in the cave, 1.20 meters long. It is portrayed in its entirety with the head drawn from a three-quarter perspective, which is particularly rare. Only the legs are left unfinished. The absence of hooves is a characteristic shared by all the animals in the cave.

Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

Near the flooded large shaft Male Ibex Elderly male ibex, with the sex clearly marked by lines in the shape of a V. The very long horns are drawn from a three-quarter perspective. Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

Near the large flooded shaft Series of stencilled hands on a black background 27,000 years before the present This stalagmite mass, situated close to the large flooded shaft, contains a group of eight left hands. The hands have shortened fingers, and stand out against a background of pulverised charcoal. Photo : A. Chéné, CNRS/CCJ

North Chamber Three Penguins These are painted on a vaulted ceiling 1.80 metres above the ground. This is the first time that drawings of penguins have been found in art from the Quaternary period, although the bones of the "Great Auk" (Alca Impennis) were found in several settlement sites of the Upper Paleolithic era near the Mediterranean (Gibraltar, Southern Italy, the Gulf of Genoa). The drawing is probably of the "Great Auk" which was still very common in the nineteenth century. It was slaughtered for its meat by sailors and fishermen which eventually led to its extinction.

Photo : A. Chené, CNRS/CCJ

North Chamber, western end Phallus This male sex, 12 cm long, was drawn on a low vaulted ceiling, near a small flooded shaft. Images of the male sex are extremely rare in Paleolithic art, contrary to female symbols.

South-west zone Unspecified Animal This picture of an unspecified animal has, sticking into its breast, two lines with barbed ends. This portrayal of feathered missiles is unusual. In the Cosquer cave, there is a large percentage of symbolically "wounded" animals with missiles embedded in their bodies. Only the engraved animals are covered with these missile-shaped marks. They are never found on the painted animals.

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