[00:00.00]So, these paintings have already taught us a lot. 
[00:02.96]But one image that has always intrigued us is known as the "Rainbow Serpent". 
[00:08.77]The Rainbow Serpent, which is the focus of my most recent project, 
[00:12.92]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. 
[00:21.42]Many believe it is a curious mixture of kangaroo, snake and crocodile. 
[00:26.39]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.
[00:35.70]The Yam period coincided with the end of the last ice age. 
[00:40.16]This brought about tremendous change in the environment, with the sea levels rising and creeping steadily inland. 
[00:47.56]This flooded many familiar land features and also caused a great deal of disruption to traditional patterns of life, hunting in particular. 
[00:56.99]New shores were formed and totally different creatures would have washed up onto the shores. 
[01:03.16]We studied 107 paintings of the Rainbow Serpent and found that the one creature 
[01:08.58]that matches it most closely was the Ribboned Pipefish, which is a type of sea horse. 
[01:14.24]This sea creature would have been a totally unfamiliar sight in the inland regions where the image is found 
[01:21.02]and may have been the inspiration behind the early paintings.
[01:25.13]So, at the end of the ice age there would have been enormous changes in animal and plant life. 
[01:31.20]It¡¯s not surprising then, that the Aborigines linked this abundance to the new creatures they witnessed. 
[01:37.84]Even today, Aborigines see the Rainbow Serpent as a symbol of creation, 
[01:42.69]which is understandable given the increase in vegetation and the new life forms that featured when the image first appeared.