BISON SCIENTISTS UNCOVER 1,000-YEAR-OLD ROCK CARVINGS

Ancient archaeological find in Canada uncovered by wallowing bison.

Roaming bison in Canada’s Wanuskewin Heritage Park have uncovered 1,000-year-old petroglyphs and the tool used to carve them, revealing the practices of ancient peoples in North America.

The heritage park is situated on the historic lands of the Dakota First Nation, and Northern Plains Indigenous Peoples, adjacent to the South Saskatchewan River.

“The discovery of these petroglyphs is a testament to just how sacred and important this land is,” says Darlene Brander, CEO of Wanuskewin Heritage Park. “The individual who made these petroglyphs was actually carving their legacy into the rock many years ago.”

The clever Saskatchewan bison were reintroduced to the park after more than 150 years, and their normal activity – including “wallowing” by rolling around in the grass to create dust pits – uncovered an embedded boulder that turned out to be a petroglyph.