Orang Pendek

Everyone knows the legends concerning bigfoot and yeti, but less people know about orang pendek, or "little foot." Orang Pendek is rumored to be a ground dwelling and hair covered bipedal ape, believed to be between 80 cm and 120 cm tall. Orang Pendek, or similar animals, have historically been reported throughout Sumatra and  Southeast Asia recent sightings have occurred largely within the Kerinci regency of central Sumatra and especially within the borders of Taman Nasional Kerinci Seblat National Park.

This 3 foot high "little person" (the Indonesion inturpation for Orang Pendek) has been reported by Westerners for over 100 years in and around Sumatra. Like bigfoot and yeti, there has been little physical evidence found of orang pendek, which leads most biologist to believe that orang pendek is a myth. However, the dense jungle areas of the Sumatrian swamps in not condussive to fossilization and the area is dense in animal life, including many species of monkeys, and is well within the historical home range of orangatangs. There has been a wide variaty of sightings from both local people and forigners that back up the existence of orang pendek, and there has also been the discovery of footprints.
Like bigfoot and yeti, science has yet to accept the sightings and footprints as proof of the existence of this creature. However, unlike bigfoot, there is possibly historical proof of the existence of orang pendek. In Oct 2004, scientists published the discovery of skeletap remains of a possible new human species called Homo floresiensis that they discovered in caves on the island of Flores (another island in the Indoesian achiplelago). Homo floresiensis were dubed "Hobits" after the tiny people in JRR Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". The hobits are estimated to have been approx 3'6" tall. The evidence on Flores suggests that they lived from about 94,000 years ago until as recently as 13,000 years ago. It is highly possible that the hobits may have been much harrier than modern humans. It is very possible, although perhaps unlikely, that orang pendek is a surviving population of Homo floresiensis. The problem with this theory is that the hobits were known tool users and are believed to have lived in tight social groups and likely in villages. There has be absolutely no evidence that orang pendek lives in villages or that they make and use tools.
Another possibility is orang pendek is a groud dwelling adaptation of the orangatang. This would account for the bipedal locomotion of orang pendek. Many witnesses have reported orang pendek to be a very similar color to orangatangs.
A small prehistoric human? Local myth? Misidentified animals? A new species of ape? What is orang pendek? Nobody knows. However, the dense jungle swamps could easily hide an unknown animal. If something is out there, someday, it will be proven to exist. Until then, the debate will go on.