Bears in Australia: Myth or Reality?

Australia is full of amazing wildlife, including many species found nowhere else in the world. But does Australia have its own native bear? Read on to find out!

Australia’s Mythical “Drop Bear”

The “drop bear” is a wacky bit of Australian folklore. This tall tale describes a vicious, carnivorous incarnation of a koala “bear” (more on those quotes in a moment) that drops down from the trees onto the heads of tourist. Rest assured, however, that this predatory koala is just a hoax.

Real Koalas: Not Bears!

In addition to drop bears being a myth, the real-life koala being a “bear” is also another true. Despite their faces and bodies exhibiting some superficial similarities to bears, Koalas are, in fact, marsupials. Marsupials are an entirely different clade of mammals from placentals, which is what true bears are.

Where Real Bears Live

True bears are any of eight species in the family Ursidae, and these bears are only found on four of the world’s seven continents: North America, South America, Europe, and Asia:

• American Black Bear: North America
• Asian Black Bear aka Moon Bear: Asia
• Brown Bear: North America, Europe, Asia
• Giant Panda aka Panda Bear: Asia
• Sun Bear: Asia
• Polar Bear: North America, Europe, Asia (Arctic)
• Sloth Bear aka Indian Bear: Asia
• Spectacled Bear aka Andean Bear: South America

In addition, Africa once had at least one native bear species, the Atlas bear. Unfortunately, this bear was hunted to extinction in the 19th century.

Australia, however, is not known to have ever had any bear species, even in prehistoric times.

Conclusion

Unless you count the bears currently in zoos, Australia is 100% bearless. “Drop bears” are just a modern folklore hoax. Furthermore, the real animals they’re based on, koala “bears,” aren’t bears at all, but rather are marsupials. On one of the world’s eight living species of real bears are native to the Australian continent.