Dropbear

Dropbear hanging near the top of a pine tree

A dropbear is one of three dangerous ground animals in the game. A single dropbear won't cause significant trouble for a healthy blockhead, though they may cause problems for the wounded or when multiple dropbears are encountered. Fortunately, they are nocturnal creatures that hang out near the tops of trees when not active. They are sometimes found on the ground when traveling between trees, but seldom during the day. Their eyes glow red, making them easier to avoid.

Where Found

Dropbears spawn near or on pine trees when they grow. However, they can also be seen up on the trunk of other types of trees, usually as a result of relocating.

Behavior

Dropbears' eyes glow red

Dropbears will attack if their tree is cut down

During the day, a dropbear prefers to remain clinging to the trunk of a tree, often near or at the top. If for any reason one ends up on the ground, it will search for a suitable tree to climb. They will share a tree with other dropbears. They prefer pine trees, but will sometimes climb others.

At night, dropbears may prowl along the ground in forests and almost always quickly descend and attack a blockhead passing underneath, after which they'll climb back up their tree. If their attack is thwarted (such as by their target passing a barrier), they may hang around and try to continue following their target until time or distance makes them give up.

They will not climb up or down more than a one-block change in ground level at any time, which may result in a dropbear becoming trapped where there is no tree. They will go back and fourth on the ground until they die, or a new is grown. They will also not climb a tree they're already in if it grows taller, unless one is disturbed by attacking or an attack that doesn't kill it. They will not climb past another dropbear, and will not be disturbed by another dropbear arriving above or below it.

A dropbear in a tree will not attack a blockhead coming to attack it during the day, but may lash out at one just passing close by.

Dropbears will attack if the tree they are living in is cut down.

If a dropbear is wandering around in daylight due to tree loss not caused by a blockhead, it is less likely to attack.

Health

See also: Creature Hit Chart

Fighting dropbears is usually a matter of hitting them four (4) times with a fist, two with most tools, or once with a iron sword or better. A non-fatal strike will usually prompt a retaliatory attack and then the dropbear will retreat to the highest point on the current tree, or one nearby if it was a ground encounter.

A blockhead can trap a dropbear by making a shallow pool of water under the dropbear's tree, so when a blockhead chops down a tree, the dropbear will not move and the blockhead has the chance to kill it without being harmed.

Starting in version 1.1, dropbears are killed if the tree they are in is burned down. Dropbears will also drown in water if confined there with no air.

Uses

Killing a dropbear will result in leather and sometimes fur being dropped. They may also be dropped when a dropbear dies of natural causes (time), resulting in these items falling to the ground near its tree's trunk.

Trivia

There is no real world dropbear. The name is used for a fictional creature supposedly living in Australia that resembles a large, carnivorous WP:koala.

Gallery

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  A dropbear walking across the ground in daylight due to tree loss.