Orang Outang

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

in zoology, Simia satyrus, the Mias of the Dyaks; also known as the "wild man of the woods." It is a dull, slothful animal, but possessed ORANG OUTANG of great strength. These animals are now confined to the swampy forests of Sumatra and Borneo. Their height has been variously stated, but we have not the least reliable evidence of the existence of orangs in Borneo more than four feet two inches high. The legs are very short, the arms are disproportionately long, reaching to the ankle when the animal is placed in an erect position. The hair is long, ruddy-brown, with a decidedly red tinge, face dark, eyes and nose small, jaws prognathous, the hair falling over the forehead and backward over the neck; it is long on the limbs, with a downward direction on the upper, and an upward on the lower arm. There are neither cheek pouches nor natesal callosities, nor a tail, and the hips are covered with hair. The males have a longish beard, and they sometimes develop warty protuberances on each side of the face. The resemblance to man in appearance is greatest in the females and in young animals. The head of a baby orang is not very different from that of an average child; but in the adult the muzzle is as well-marked a feature as in the Carnivora. The orang is arboreal, and forms a sort of nest or shelter among the trees. It never walks erect, unless when using its hands to support itself by branches overhead, or when attacked.