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Australian Drop Bear
| According to legend, Drop Bears are dangerous creatures that hide in gum trees. You can tell if one of them is hiding in a tree by lying on your back beneath the tree and spitting upwards. If the Drop Bear is up there, it'll spit back. |
Comments: most recent posts first
That sounds like an urban legend around here, the "Johnson Monster"
Joe
Sunday, November 02, 2003 at 13:51:59
Apparently this story also works on foreign army groups - my father's army team managed to get some other group to sleep on top of their 4WD during the entire time they were out bush in Australia. The other story that goes with the drop-bears is the trip-snakes - you're walking along a track, and the snake will pull itsef across the track (coiling its tail/body around something on each side) and then, when you fall over, bite you so it can eat you.
Kellie
Sunday, August 24, 2003 at 20:49:49
About the Australian Drop Bear, hah! That's funny! Cause if you lye down on your back and spit, the only spit you'll be getting in return is your's! :+P That's funny! Who ever thought of that? And if so, when?
Monday, August 11, 2003 at 11:07:05
is that a drop bear it is like cant be
Wednesday, August 06, 2003 at 20:50:19
In my experience, the drop bear story is related to girl guide and boy scout camps. I have not heard about the spitting idea to tell if there is a bear in the tree, but i was informed that they lived in eucalyptus trees and had very long arms and sharp claws (I always pictured them a bit loke a small sloth) and they would drop from the tree, land on your shoulders and rip out and eat your neck.
Alex
Sunday, August 03, 2003 at 19:20:31
Hi Alex
I bought your book over the weekend and loved it! Very amusing tales of human gullibility, ignorance and intelligence.
I thought you might be interested in a tale that did the rounds in my youth. No doubt there are similar stories out there. I attended many camps, and a popular story to keep the kids in their beds at night was the threat of the 'drop bears'.
According to camp leaders (and I confess to perpetuating this in later years!), there lurked in Australian gum trees fierce koala bear type creatures called drop bears. They slept during the day, and only came out at night to feed. You could tell if there was a drop bear in a tree by upturning your face and spitting up into the tree. If there was a drop bear, it would spit back (think about it...). They were also said to be attracted to Vegemite, the staple Aussie condiment, which the kids then started to avoid at breakfast. To ward off an attack by drop bears, campers were advised to put toothpaste behind their ears. I am sure there were a few parents who wondered why they had to wash toothpaste out of pillowcases.
I am pretty sure there were more tall tales associated with this mysterious creature, but I can't remember more at present.
I have also attached a picture you might be interested in, similar to the photo on your Jackalope page. I work at quarantine, and occasionally these unusual creatures make their way into Australia in the luggage of tourists with a penchance for unusual souvenirs.
Keep up the great work!
Cheers
Jen
Sunday, February 16, 2003