What is the Orang Pendek?
Orang Pendek is the name given to a cryptic race of short, hairy, ape-like, hominoids that live in the remote rainforest of Sumatra. For well over a century, the creature has been sighted by tribes, villagers, and non-native researchers and scientists. Sightings mainly take place around farmlands, where they’ve been observed snatching up crops by locals.
Logging and expanding plantations throughout Sumatra are encroaching on the Orang Pendek island habitat. A dwindling environment paired with dozens of highly credible sightings by visiting biologists and primatologists give researchers great confidence that this animal will be discovered soon and protected.
What does the Orang Pendek look like?
© National Geographic 2011
Imagine a short, buff hairy ape with human facial features. They have a conical head not unlike reports of the Sasquatch and very similar to a gorilla. Primarily witnessed on ground level, some reports suggest they live in the trees as well. The creatures are short, 2’5″ to 4’10” tall, have a divergent big toe like a human, and sport short brown, grey, black or gold fur.
They are reportedly very physically adept, with massive shoulders, chest, and arms. Intimidating canine teeth similar to a mandrill or baboon have been documented as well.
Orang Pendek Evidence
British researcher Debbie Martyr spent 20 years documenting evidence and recording eyewitness stories. Though not able to provide physical proof of the elusive creature, Martyr collected many bipedal ape footprint casts and claims to have observed the creature several times. Official analyses of several tracks state that an unknown primate indeed created them.
Many believe this elusive Sumatran phantom is a relic hominid related to the recently discovered Homo florensiensis. Remains of this ancient group were found on a nearby island in Indonesia called Flores. This race of “hobbit people” as described in the media, only existed 12,000 years ago. With so many paralleling physical features and close proximity to Sumatra, these theories are especially compelling.
Homo floresiensis interpretation by digital artist M. Crassus
The Orang Pendek in Media
Not nearly as popular as other forms of undiscovered, bipedal, ape-men, the Orang Pendek will appear from time to time in pop culture. Most recently, the main antagonists in the video game Temple Run, “Evil Demon Monkeys” seem to be modeled somewhat off the cryptid.
Sources:
“In Search of Orang Pendek…” Orangpendek.org
Redfern, Nick. “Orang Pendek: A Cryptid Likely To Be Caught” Mysteriousuniverse.org/
Freeman, Richard. “Have we found evidence of the elusive orang pendek?” Theguardian.com/science