Orang Pendek

What is it?

The orang pendek is a bipedal ape that has been sighted in West Sumatra for centuries. “orang pendek” translates from Indonesian as “little person” which describes its alleged height of around 4 feet tall. It has been sighted by early Dutch colonists, scientists, conservationists and is well known by the local people in the area.

Description

It is described as being well-built and walks just like a human. The color of its hair ranges from black, dark brown, reddish- brown and even a honey color.

4 ft tall (120cm)

Location

Sightings generally occur in West Sumatra. Many sightings are reported in the Kerinci National Park, especially around Gunung Tujuh (Mount Tujuh).

Evidence

  • Eyewitness sightings

  • Footprints

  • Hair samples

  • Vocalisations

Expeditions

July 2022

Adam Thorn conducted his first Sumatra expedition to search for the orang pendek. He spent a week in the jungle around Gunung Tujuh (Mount Tujuh), searching for evidence like footprints and hair.

On day 6, Adam found a set of tracks that matched descriptions, photos and plaster casts of orang pendek. The track led through a thin game trail in the forest, with signs that whatever made the tracks walked bipedally like a human. There were broken and parted plants, which matched something using hands to move the plants aside as it walked.

The footprints found has the signature divergent hallux (grasping big toe) that is seen in extant apes. Unfortunately, Adam wasn’t able to cast the prints, however, he was able to get a good 3D render of the best footprint example he could find.

May 2026 (upcoming)

On May 6th, Adam will be heading out for his second orang pendek expedition. This time he will be implementing more methods. Methods include installing trail cameras, vocalisation techniques and eDNA sampling. Adam’s focus while he’s there will be collecting hair samples, footprint casts and trying to lure an orang pendek towards the camera traps, using designed vocalisations based off eyewitness descriptions.

Updates and findings will be released to PDU members first. The trail cameras will be left in situ for a minimum of 6 months. During the 3rd expedition, the SD cards will be collected, replaced and the cameras will be moved to a different location.

This project will be ongoing and in the near future, PDU members will be able to join Adam on these expeditions (at own cost).