The Ape-Men are a race of vicious anthropoid primates native to the South American jungle and known to inhabit the enigmatic plateau known as the Maple White Land. They were discovered by the 1911 expedition led by Prof. George Edward Challenger to explore the prehistoric life forms which still thrive upon this bizarre formation.
Biology[]
The Ape-Men are powerfully-built, tail-less bipeds, entirely covered in shaggy red fur. While they make their cities on ground level, they are also excellent climbers, and often hang on trees - a habit which allows them to observe their enemies while remaining entirely unseen by them. They have prehensile hands and feet, which aid in their arboreal ventures.
Despite their agility while moving on trees, the Ape-Men usually find themselves at considerable disadvantage on open terrain, as their heavy, stout bodies and short legs make them considerably slower than humans.
The exact classification of the Ape-Men is a mystery, as Challenger points out that South America - while home to numerous monkeys - has never been colonized by apes. However, both he and Summerlee nevertheless believe them to represent some form of prehistoric anthropoid, with both professors disagreeing on the exact genus - citing either Dryopithecus or Pithecanthropus as likely candidates. In any case, Challenger speculates that they're probably not native to the plateau, but have settled on it at some point after its geological isolation and prior to human arrival.
Society[]
The Ape-Man inhabit a village of about a thousand huts, made "of branches and leaves in a great grove of trees near the edge of the cliff". Their language appears to be mostly based on gestures, but also incorporates spoken words.
The Ape-Men engage in vicious war against the human tribes which inhabit the plateau. As hostile creatures, they seem to take much delight in capturing and executing human prisoners.