Recent discoveries in the Juukan Gorge rock shelter in Western Australia, infamous for its destruction by Rio Tinto in 2020, have unveiled significant archaeological treasures. Among these finds is a rare Tasmanian Devil tooth, marking the first such discovery on the mainland in over 3,000 years.

The Tasmanian Devil, a formidable carnivorous marsupial and once a dominant predator on Australia's southern island, vanished from the mainland approximately 3,500 years ago.

This excavation, conducted as part of a remediation agreement between Rio Tinto and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) peoples, offers fresh insights into human history spanning at least 46,000 years, according to a statement by the PKKP Aboriginal Corporation.

These recent findings complement previous excavations in 2008 and 2014, which unearthed remarkable artifacts such as a segment of braided human hair dating back roughly 5,000 years. Notably, this discovery revealed a genetic connection to present-day Aboriginal populations residing in the Pilbara region.