At least 25 new animal images were found. So far researchers believe that the cave was not used for human habitation. Although a hearth was found, Clottes feels it was possibly used to provide light for Palaeolithic artists.
Cave bears appear to have hibernated in the grotto, and the ground is littered with their bones.
It is unclear how long the bears used the space before and after the artists. The team split into groups, one studying the floor, another making a computerized inventory of the art, and a third tracing the images. Those studying the ground found the hearth, numerous animal footprints, and pieces of flint belonging to the ancient artists. A group inventorying the images entered a description of each figure and a quick sketch into a data base. A third group took pictures of the images, scanned them into a computer, and made printouts that were then traced onto transparent paper.