I noticed the same thing right away. This “discovery” does not pass the “smell test”, not by a long shot. The nearby stalactites are still growing, you can see that by the whites dots on their tips that are water drops reflecting the light.
It would be nearly impossible for these paintings to survive intact on the surface of a stalactite for 40,000 years.They would either be covered up by mineral deposits or eroded away.
Since I can’t post photos I tried finding the best thread to post this....huge shark whale caught and brought to land....does anybody know what this thing actually is?
Forgive me for this pause in your thread...
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/08/asia/gallery/whale-shark-gallery/index.html?hpt=hp_c3