New Arnhem Land rock art reignites debate over mainland thylacine extinction

A new survey of rock art in western Arnhem Land has recorded 14 previously undocumented paintings of the thylacine, raising fresh questions about when the animal disappeared from the Australian mainland and underscoring the depth of First Nations knowledge that has kept the species’ story alive.

The images, along with two paintings of the Tasmanian devil, were documented at the Awunbarna and Injalak Hill rock shelters through work led by Griffith University researchers in partnership with local Traditional Owners. Some of the thylacine depictions include white pipe clay, a pigment researchers say does not last very long and may indicate the works were created more recently than long-standing extinction estimates would suggest.

Griffith rock art specialist Professor Paul Tacon said earlier research had placed the mainland disappearance of both species at around 3,000 years ago. But the presence of white pigment points to a younger age for at least some of the newly recorded images. “White doesn’t last very long — so they’re younger than we would expect” Tacon said.

Researchers cautioned that rock art can be repainted or copied over generations, meaning the paintings cannot, on their own, be treated as definitive proof that thylacines survived into the last millennium. Tacon noted there was also the possibility artists were emulating much older works, preserving an older visual tradition using newer materials.

For Traditional Owners involved in the study, the paintings are not simply a scientific puzzle but part of a continuing cultural record. Djalama man Joey Nganjmirra, who worked with the Griffith team, said stories about thylacines remain embedded in local oral history. “They used to tell stories about going hunting with thylacines” he said.

The thylacine is known in the region as djankerrk and remains linked to broader ancestral narratives. The study team noted that Arnhem Land depictions often place thylacines alongside the Rainbow Serpent, a central figure in many Aboriginal Dreaming stories, highlighting the animal’s role as a cultural touchstone rather than a distant curiosity.

The findings, published in the journal Archaeology in Oceania, add to a growing body of collaborative research that pairs archaeological methods with Aboriginal knowledge holders’ expertise. While the work does not settle the question of when the thylacine vanished from the mainland, it strengthens the case for careful, site-by-site investigation — and for ensuring Traditional Owners are central to how that investigation is designed, interpreted and shared.