An Ode To The Humble: Drop Bear...Australia's Fiercest Animal

There are many things in Australia that can and will kill you, including snakes, spiders, underwater creatures and everything in between.

People overseas are terrified of visiting our shores on the chance they get bitten by something nefarious.

But there is one thing that is even worse than all the venomous spiders in the world: drop bears.

The horrifying beast lurks in treetops, typically with blood surrounding its mouth from a previous victims, and watches the floor below with a Predator-like gaze looking for its next meal...or so the myth goes.

Yamavu (Creative Commons)

Aussies love winding each other up, but we love nothing more than warning gullible tourists about the deadly drop bear that they definitely should watch out for on their camping trip.

The powers of our inside joke reached fever pitch last year when a Scottish reporter was tricked into thinking she was handling a vicious animal.

ITV News' Asia correspondent Debi Edward wasn't aware of the stitch up and was absolutely owned when she visited bushfire-ravaged Kangaroo Island in January.

Debi's cameraman and producer Sean Mulcahy uploaded a video showing the journalist trying to remain calm while meeting a 'drop bear'.

She was told to put on the 'drop bear suit', which was necessary for her own safety. She told the camera: "I'm a bit worried about why I need this much protection.

"I've been told this is quite a dangerous animal. It's been known to attack people. It's called a drop bear because they drop out of the tree and attack people.

"Everybody looks very worried about this. I'm trying not to be worried because I've been told it can sense when I'm worried."

She was particularly scared upon being warned that a dart gun was being prepared in case things escalated. The people around her then asked for the koala back and that's when the penny dropped for poor Debi. Everyone burst out laughing and she realised she'd been had.

The actual origin of the drop bear story hasn't ever been unearthed, with the first public mention of it being documented in the '80s by The Canberra Times, however the stitch up was already very prevalent in Australia by then.

While there are plenty of worthy animals to celebrate and praise, we thought this one deserves a special shoutout.

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie