Drop Bears are a species of carnivorous Australian Marsupial who inhabit Australia's dense forests.
Drop Bears are about the size of a large dog. They have a Koala-like appearance with differences in build and habits .
The Australian National Wildlife connection describes Drop bears as having blood red eyes , large canines, and sharp hooked claws for grappling prey. They have a heavy build with powerful arms and legs for climbing up trees and holding on to prey tightly upon dropping on them.
As their name indicates Drop Bears hunt by dropping on ground animals from above, using their weight and force from the fall to stun prey and then subdue them. When their prey is within their drop zone, or area where they want prey to be for maximum drop efficiency, the Drop Bear will drop as much as 30 feet to drop on the unsuspecting victim. The initial impact often stuns or injures the prey long enough for the bear to bite the victim in the back of the neck, breaking the neck and instantly killing it.
The primary prey of Drop Bears are unsuspecting annoying tourists. Although tourists are the Drop Bears main prey, this does not mean that it does not also prey on locals. Australian Koalogist Idunt Ehxist states that they simply target tourists more often because tourists agitate the Bears sensitive Australian pride by saying ignorant things, such as victim Iam Duhm who described to the magazine Tourist Horror Stories, about how he was attacked after he asked a clerk how much a stuffed animal was worth in "real money" . It is also said that tourists secret a certain "I'm not used to this temperature" musk that seems to attract the bears to them. The Australian Bureau of Statistics noted that tourists who sweat more were 70% more likely to be attacked by Drop Bears.
Ahrealoh, G. (2001). My Australian Nightmare. Tourist Horror Stories, 82, p. 5-8.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2006). Unwitting Tourists.
Sydney, Australia: Government Filing Office.