Orang pendek

In Indonesian folklore, the Orang Pendek, 'short person' in Indonesian, is a creature said to live in remote, mountainous forests on the island of Sumatra. People have reported it for at least 100 years, including forest tribes, villagers, Dutch colonists and Western travelers. Witnesses mostly agree that it is a ground-dwelling ape that walks on two legs, covered in short fur, and 80 to 150 centimetres tall.

Most sightings come from the Kerinci area of central Sumatra, especially in and around Kerinci Seblat National Park. The park lies in the Bukit Barisan mountains, just 2 degrees south of the equator, and holds some of the most remote primary rainforest in the world. Scientists have found no proof that the animal exists. The globe marks it as a mythical-creature spot in the Sumatran forest.

Stories from the forest

The Suku Anak Dalam, 'Children of the Inner-forest', are nomadic people in the lowland forests of Jambi and South Sumatra. Their legends say the Orang Pendek has shared the forest with them for centuries.

The Orang Rimba of Bukit Duabelas tell of the 'Hantu Pendek', or 'short ghost'. It is seen more as a spirit than an animal, travelling in groups of five or six, eating wild yams and carrying small axes.

A Dutch surveyor's story

Dutch settlers of the early 1900s introduced the creature to Westerners. A widely reported story is that of Mr. van Heerwarden, who in 1923, while surveying land, spotted a dark, hairy creature on a branch.

He described long arms, rather short legs, dark hair falling past the shoulder blades, and a face that was not ugly or apelike at all.

What the evidence shows

Plaster casts of footprints look like a child's, but no one can prove where they came from. Hairs once thought to be from an unknown primate turned out in DNA tests to be human. Searchers who looked for about 15 years with camera traps found no testable evidence, and no body or bones have been reported.

Skeptics say some sightings could be gibbons or young orangutans, and sun bear prints can resemble the casts. For now, the Orang Pendek remains folklore.

On the globe

Look for the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, especially its central mountains.