Paleontology has long entertained the idea that, long before modern fossil science, southern Africa's San and Basotho peoples noticed dinosaur remains and worked them into songs, myths, and rock art. For decades, that idea grew, with some images read as dinosaurs or tusked beasts.
According to a Phys.org report, those readings are now coming apart. The article describes the purported dinosaur and tusked-beast figures in San rock art as "the monsters that weren't," suggesting that the case for these paleontological interpretations is much weaker than previously assumed.
The unraveling matters because it shows how a compelling story can persist in science even when the visual evidence is uncertain. The rock art itself remains significant, but the idea that it preserves ancient fossil encounters appears to be fading.