Thane Morgan wrote:
> OK, I give. Whats a drop bear. It almost sounds like a snipe story.
Unlike Crocs, Sharks etc these beasties are rare. Not as rare as the
Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacine) which is "Rarer than Nessie", the last
confirmed sighting being in 1926, but a lot rarer than, say, the Horned
Devil.
They're a cousin to the Koala, which, by the way, is not a bear, it's
more related to the marsupial possum.
Drop Bears are slightly larger than the other subspecies of Koala, and
are the second largest Marsupial carnivore still living. Others, such as
the Giant Carnivorous Wombat, became extinct about 50,000 years ago.
Many Drop Bears have white tufts behind the ears, or at the ear tips.
The main prey of Drop Bears are the smaller species of Kangaroo and
Wallaby, though they have been observed eating tree snakes and
especially birds nests and contents. They are nocturnal, like most of
the possum genus, and hunt by dropping from above onto the back of the
Roo or whatever underneath a tree. Hence the name. Like a Koala, they
have long, sharp claws, which they use to hold on. Unlike the Koala,
they have jaws capable of snapping large bones - not as strong as a
Tasmanian Devil or Hyena, but strong enough to bite through the backbone
of their victim, just behind the head.
Even a 2-meter tall Red Kangaroo can be felled this way. Victims are
then eviscerated, the internal organs being devoured first. Usually
Dingoes drive off the Drop Bears before they start on the muscles and
bones.
The Drop Bear's sense of smell is not acute, and their eyesight is
worse. This means that they have been known to attack humans by mistake
(although human beings are really too big for them to manage).
They are rare, shy and retiring creatures, and only found in virgin
bushland. Unfortunately, military reserves are ideal habitats for them.
Foreign troops on exercises have to be warned NOT to camp below a tree
at dusk, as green uniforms in particular confuse the Drop Bear's vision,
and often lead to an attack. Australians are taught about Drop Bears at
an early age, and few have ever been attacked since 1900.
The figure of 14 people eviscerated by drop bears last year is just
plain exagerrated: several were dingo victims, and one was tormenting a
Kangaroo when it turned on him and disembowelled him. The other two were
tourists who didn't know any better. More people are killed in Canada by
Grizzlies every year than are killed by Drop Bears in Australia in a
decade.
--
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Received on Mon Mar 23 1998 - 09:57:18 UTC