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
Potential trail Camera footage
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
On May 6th, Adam conducted a 5 day orang pendek expedition in West Sumatra. He incorporated new methods such as using a speaker with various ape vocalisations in an attempt to lure any curious primate close to the trail camera. Evidently this worked as what looks like a large ape arm was captured on camera. Whether this belongs to the orang pendek is unknown, but every other possible animal was ruled out, leaving very little possibility it could be something else. eDNA and hair sample were collected and are pending results.