Creature Feature Friday: ORANG GADANG
As if we needed a creature more gigantic than a regular Bigfoot, check out today’s Creature Feature Friday: the Orang Gadang!
1) The Orang Gadang is a huge, hairy, bipedal cryptid reported to be at least 7.5 feet tall, but often towering up to heights as tall as 12 feet. The name Orange Gadang aptly means “Big Man” or “Giant Man.”
2) As Sumatra, Indonesia’s version of Bigfoot, Orang Gadang have been spotted for centuries in the forests of Sumatra and Malaya. They are believed to be descended from Gigantopithecus, the largest primate that has ever walked the earth (…and that is now thankfully extinct).
3) Along with its great height, Orange Gadang shares other similarities with Bigfoot, including a full covering of dark bushy hair; a penchant for leaving enormous footprints around campsites; emitting a strange, eerie whistling sound; and also the habit of hurling stones at people from concealed locations.
Alleged Orang Gadang image from Cryptid Wiki.
4) Despite its massive size, the Orang Gadang is believed to be a shy, peaceful omnivore that will quietly walk away if it encounters humans. Accounts of the cryptid frequently describe an "eerie silence prior to the encounter, an appreciable stillness in the woods that commonly surrounds predatory animals". Orang Gadang is generally assumed to be a nocturnal creature, although there are tales of daylight sightings too.
5) Also despite its massive size, the ‘Bigfoot of Sumatra’ is reported to emit blood-curdling screams “like a woman in great distress.” So if you ever happen to hear a frightened female screaming in the jungles of Indonesia, you might want to rethink running to her rescue… she may in fact be a huge hairy monster.
What do you believe the Orang Gadang could be - a unidentified species of ape, a relative of Sasquatch, or just a figure out of folklore? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
