Footage taken by one of the riders in a Banda Aceh motor trail community appears to have captured what experts believe may be a member of a tribe that - until now - existed only in Aceh folklore.
The group, who were riding along the path in a local forest in Indonesia's westernmost provice, can be seen coming to a stop after the leader of the pack took a fall after breaking, ostensibly to avoid running into a small, topless figure that appeared on the side of the track.
The riders moved to follow the figure down the path before it slipped away into the tall grass, not to be seen again.
The video of the curious encounter has had more than 9.5 million views on YouTube, and spurred a number of hypotheses about what it could have been that the riders saw.
Many viewers suggested that the pint-sized figure was in fact a member of the Mante tribe, a tribe that was widely considered to be a myth, shared among Aceh residents that formed part of Sumatra's history.
The tribe was said to have lived in the Aceh hinterland, where the footage is believed to have been taken, although the owner of the footage refused to say where exactly it had been filmed.
However anthropologist Fikarwin Zuska, of the University of North Sumatra, told The Jakarta Post there was no scientific evidence to prove the existence of the tribe.
“The tribe has only been found in Aceh or Gayo folklore,” he told the Post.
Indonesian news agency Tempo.co reported that Aceh Governor Zaini Abdullah would pursue the matter further.
"A team has been formed to launch an investigation because it relates to Aceh's rich history," Mr Zaini is reported to have said.
