SYDNEY (CNN) — Ask almost any Australian about a drop bear, and they'll likely recount a close encounter with this carnivorous, fanged cousin of the Australian koala.
They might describe how a relative was gravely injured during a drop bear attack, or claim that a friend narrowly escaped death at the hands of the vicious carnivore.
And they'll all be lying. The drop bear does not exist.
Many countries have a creature which is rumored to exist but is never seen — think dragons, yetis and the Loch Ness monster.
But with the drop bear, there's a twist. No Australian actually believes it exists — it's just used to scare people, normally of the foreign variety.