So, these paintings have already taught us a lot. But one image that has always intrigued us is known as the "Rainbow Serpent". The Rainbow Serpent, which is the focus of my most recent project, gets its name from its snake or serpent-like body and it first appeared in the Yam period 4,000 to 6,000 years ago. Many believe it is a curious mixture of kangaroo, snake and crocodile. But we decided to study the Rainbow Serpent paintings to see if we could locate the animal that the very first painters based their image on.

The Yam period coincided with the end of the last ice age. This brought about tremendous change in the environment, with the sea levels rising and creeping steadily inland. This flooded many familiar land features and also caused a great deal of disruption to traditional patterns of life, hunting in particular. New shores were formed and totally different creatures would have washed up onto the shores. We studied 107 paintings of the Rainbow Serpent and found that the one creature that matches it most closely was the Ribboned Pipefish, which is a type of sea horse. This sea creature would have been a totally unfamiliar sight in the inland regions where the image is found and may have been the inspiration behind the early paintings.

So, at the end of the ice age there would have been enormous changes in animal and plant life. It’s not surprising then, that the Aborigines linked this abundance to the new creatures they witnessed. Even today, Aborigines see the Rainbow Serpent as a symbol of creation, which is understandable given the increase in vegetation and the new life forms that featured when the image first appeared.