Overview

• The impression was found on an aeolianite block at Bosbokfontein Private Nature Reserve on South Africa’s Cape south coast after a cliff fall exposed the surface.
• The feature measures about 95 by 13 centimeters with five parallel striations and a raised rim suggestive of movement across loose sand.
• Optically stimulated luminescence dating places the formation at roughly 126,000 years old, as reported by authors Charles Helm and Lynne Quick.
• The team considered and rejected explanations such as a predator or human dragging prey or an elephant trunk, citing the lack of accompanying tracks and the unexplained raised rim.
• A raised outer rim likely representing a urolite or coprolite aligns with hyrax communal latrine habits, and the authors call for broader searches for hyrax trace fossils across Africa.