Publication Date:
2024-04-16
Description:
This chapter presents the historical story of Dubois’ cave research on Sumatra. Over two years in
the Padang Highlands, Dubois explored a number of cave sites in his search for the ‘missing link’.
These include not only caves such as Lida Ajer, Jambu and Sibrambang that yielded large amounts
of fossils, but also many other caves, often much smaller or with fewer or no fossils in them. As a
supplement to the story, Dubois’ field notes and official reports are disclosed and translated into
English. Dubois’ observations in the field indicate that he had a strong grasp of geological and
palaeontological principles, given the knowledge current at the time. Dubois’ later success in Java
greatly overshadowed his accomplishments in Sumatra, which, although not as well known, have
been significant for understanding its biological history.
Keywords:
Lida Ajer
;
Jambu
;
Sibrambang
;
Padang Highlands
;
palaeontology
;
cave exploration
Repository Name:
National Museum of Natural History, Netherlands
Type:
info:eu-repo/semantics/bookPart
Format:
application/pdf
