Step 1: Historical evidence.
Archaeological studies suggest that prehistoric humans created cave paintings about 40,000 years ago.
Step 2: Significance.
These paintings reflected human creativity, rituals, and interaction with nature.
Step 3: Analyzing options.
(A) 18,000 years ago: Incorrect — Too recent.
(B) 10,000 years ago: Incorrect — Marks Neolithic transition, not early art.
(C) 75,000 years ago: Incorrect — Older than known art discoveries.
(D) 40,000 years ago: Correct — True timeline of cave art.
Step 4: Conclusion.
Thus, prehistoric cave art developed about 40,000 years ago.