Rhinoceros :

It was most likely the wooly rhinoceros that inhabited the plains in proximity to the cave of Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc. Like mammoths, this type of rhinoceros had a long, thick coat of fleece.

Cave lion :

This now extinct species did not live in caves, but ventured into their depths. The males did not have manes. This is proven by the cave of Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc since it contains the only representation in parietal art of a sexed male lion.

Cave Bear :

A very tall bear with a massive head. It was vegetarian and did not live in caves, but hibernated there. It became extinct approximately 10,000 years ago.

Mammoth :

An extinct type of elephant with thick fur and long curved tusks, measuring more than 3 meters high at the withers. It occupied the plains of France during the coldest periods of the Late Pleistocene.

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TIME AND SPACE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CAVE

Panel of Lions. Close-up of southern part. Jean-Marie Chauvet © DRAC

The discovery caused a shock. Specialists and non-specialists alike immediately recognized its importance and originality for several reasons. First, the nature of the bestiary represented is very unusual, with rhinoceroses, lions and bears. The animals most often depicted in Paleolithic caverns are the same as those that were hunted, even if their proportions do not exactly match those represented by the faunal remains found at habitation sites. At Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc, dangerous animals, who did not figure on Paleolithic menus, are largely dominant (more than 60% of identified species if we count mammoth).
The techniques utilized to represent the animals are also surprising, especially the use of shading and perspective. These refinements contrast greatly with the images that we are accustomed to seeing.

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