A new cluster of rock carvings in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra has left researchers stunned. The petroglyphs depict what appear to be hippopotamuses, an animal not previously known to have existed in the Indian subcontinent during the Holocene era.
If confirmed by paleontological data, these carvings suggest that the ancient residents of the Konkan coast witnessed a much more diverse megafauna than previously believed. The discovery is currently being analyzed by environmental historians and wildlife experts.