The Nittaewo were said to be a race of small, hairy hominids about 3 to 4 feet tall who once lived in the jungles of southeastern Sri Lanka. Described in detail by explorer Sir John Bailey in 1887, they were reported to walk upright, with long claws instead of tools, and to live in caves between Lenama and Kataragama. Local Vedda traditions claim the Nittaewo were wiped out in the 18th century when villagers drove them into a cave and sealed the entrance with fire. Some cryptozoologists link the legends to remnant populations of hominids. Even today, unexplained footprints and figures are occasionally reported in the dense forests