[aruanan]

More seriously, I'm surprised that anything survived in a cave with that many stalactites. Those are a sign that water is leaking into the cave and moisture isn't good for artwork.

More accurately: "Those are a sign that water at one time was leaking into the cave and moisture isn't good for artwork but since this artwork is still around, everything must have remained dry since sometime before it was painted."

[gleeaikin]

Forty-two thousand years ago was the depths of the last Ice Age. Conditions are generally dryer during very cold weather. Some of our heavy snows have been caused by warmer weather. Another question, how do we know it was Neanderthal, and not CroMagnon?