This kangaroo painting is Australia's oldest Aboriginal rock art

Researchers estimate that the kangaroo painting is between 17,500 and 17,100 years old, the oldest discovered to date. Photo: Peter Veth, Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation. Illustration: Pauline Heaney And Damien Finch

A kangaroo painting created over 17,000 years ago by Aboriginal artists has been identified - with a little help from some ancient wasps - as Australia's oldest intact rock art.

The 2m-long artwork on the sloped ceiling of a rock shelter in Western Australia's Kimberley region was painted in an early naturalistic style, which often features life-sized renderings of animals, according to research published recently.