The 40,000 year old Lion Man is actually a Cave Bear.
The Carving from Hohlenstein-Satadel has been dated to between 35,000 - 45,000 years old by multiple scientists. But, they were wrong about "what" it was.
After seeing a cave bear standing upright, and then this figurine, there is no question. It's a Short Faced Cave Bear. In this same area of Germany, many other figurines, paintings, and carvings have been found from much closer to modern day. They depict Berserkers as Men who either shift into the form of physically, or spiritually embody a bear for battle.
The lore of Bear and Wolf men has survived in Germany, Scandinavia, and England clear up into modern times. Making it into pop-culture as werewolves and shape shifters in multiple movies, TV shows, Video Games, and comic book series. The industry loved it, from True Blood all the way through the Early 1980’s with Silver Bullet. Then we have dozens more in between, like American Werewolf in Paris, and Underworld. Going into the 2000’s with More underworld, then Twilight, Teen Wolf, Being Human, and the flood of other werewolf content.
Therianthropes have existed at least as long as people have been creating cave art, and carvings depicting them. It is least 40,000 years in this case. The lore has lasted this long, so maybe we should ask ourselves if there is a deeper reason for it. Is there an animalistic duality locked just under the surface of some of the people that walk past us every day. Or maybe it's in your DNA, and it is just waiting for something to trigger it. Maybe Harvard is correct, and when the Aliens come out of hiding, these animalistic traits will re emerge in a portion of the human population again.
Sorry ADHD.
The point is, it's a damned cave bear, not a lion man.
Thanks for reading.. 😁