User:Jamieexplore99

Australian Drop Bear
A drop bear (Phascolarctos cinereusis) a predatory, carnivorous variation of the koala. It was first discovered in 1725 and was a crossbreed of a koala. Closely related to the prehistoric 'Thylacoleo carnifex', the “marsupial lion” they are incredibly dangerous. thumb Commonly known as a "hoax" or an "old wives tale" to scare tourists, they are actually real. When it is said they are distant cousins to koalas they really are distant, nothing like the cute cuddly koala; they will go for blood.

Are they dangerous?
Drop bears do not specifically target human beings. Yet there have been several cases where humans have fallen victim to drop bear attacks, resulting in serious lacerations and even death. These attacks are known as a "drop on" and with the weight of the bears there is little to no chance of being dropped o and having no injuries.

Common drop on injures include

 * broken limbs
 * scratch and bite marks
 * Pulled and torn muscles
 * large bruises
 * internals bleeding (in severe cases)
 * Fractures
 * Concussions (very common)

Dropbears are situated remote bushland in central Australia but from the droughts, they have had to migrate to the suburban bush and they now exist everywhere apart fr4om Tasmania. There they have a fierce rival the Tasmanian devil. They reside in eucalyptus trees and dense bush areas.

Aussie hikers beware!
In 1989 to combat the drop bear attacks on this rise the Australian Government created the "lookup, stay alive" initiative and the attacks subsided for a few years. Somehow in 2004 the drop bear population had a spike in its growth, thus increasing the number of attacks. Due to droughts, the population has lowered currently but it is expected to spike by 2021.



How to avoid an attack

 * 1) avoid drop bear prone areas (READ WARNING SIGNS)
 * 2) keep moving, don't stop for too long
 * 3) if you see or hear one play dead and it won't attack
 * 4) converse quietly
 * 5) wear a wide-brimmed hat and neutral colours
 * 6) Look out for relevant drop bear signs
 * 7) be wary around bushland areas

How to spot one?
they have the same look of a koala from the outside, but in its mouth are 2 large fangs. (roughly 7cm in females and 8-10 in males). They are larger than they average koala (60-85cm and 4-15kg) they will grow to roughly 90-100cm in females and 100-115cm in males. The weight varies depending on their home. But roughly they can be from 16-28kg (not good to be dropped on)