[SunkenCiv]

Those About To Die
Chapter XII [Part 1 of 4]
by Daniel P. Mannix

There were also man-sized apes called tityrus with round faces, reddish color and whiskers. Pictures of them appear on vases and they were apparently orangutans, imported from Indonesia. As far as I know, the Romans never exhibited gorillas although these biggest of all apes were known to the Phoenicians, who gave them their present name which means "hairy savage."

[Fred Nerks]

...There were also amusing touches, or what the Romans considered amusing. A jeweler who had sold some fake stones was sentenced to the arena. The wretched man was driven into the arena and a lion's cage rolled out before him.

While the jeweler fell on his knees and prayed for mercy, the door of the cage was pulled back—and out walked a chicken.

Tickled me pink, that did.