Amazing Facts – The Fingerprints of a Koala Are Almost Indistinguishable from Humans
Why the Fingerprints of a Koala Look Almost Identical to Ours? An Amazing Discovery!
Chances are, you envision a koala sleepily nestled in a eucalyptus tree, serene and koala fluffy and innocent. However, it is something quite different. You and a koala share an odd but real resemblance. A koala’s fingerprint, unbelievably, is indistinguishable from a human fingerprint, to the extent that forensic specialists are deceived. Yes, a sleep marsupial from Australia is capable, unbelievably, of leaving a crime scene print that resembles a human fingerprint.
Koala Fingerprints vs Human Fingerprints – A Strange Similarity
The fingerprints of koalas and people have astounding similarities. The swirls and other patterns are so similar that even under a microscope it is hard to tell them apart. The BBC and National Geographic have cited studies that say Australian police once stated that, were koalas to leave prints on some objects at a crime scene, those prints would be identified as human. Koalas are not planning a bank heist, of course.
But the fact that their fingerprints could be mistaken for human ones is certainly one of the most strange pieces of information regarding animals.
Why Do Koalas Have Fingerprints?
Why Do Koalas Possess Fingerprints? Fingerprints serve more than simply a purpose of identifying a person. For other, those seemingly tiny lines facilitate interactions with objects. Koalas require the same. Starting from their birth, they spend their lives climbing trees and plucking eucalyptus leaves. Koalas are very well equipped to grip and hold food with their steady hands.
This is the amazing part: Much unlike us, koalas are not primates. They are more closely related to marsupials like kangaroos than to primates. Still, evolution has provided them with a thick pattern on their body reminiscent of our fingerprints, and this is baffling.
Such a phenomena is termed convergent evolution by science; when an organism of a different lineage than another organism develops the same trait due to facing the same challenges.
Can Koala Fingerprints Confuse Crime Scenes?
It’s a funny thought, yet, yes, fingerprints belonging to a Koala can indeed obscure crime scene investigations. On certain noted surfaces, like the plane of a sheet of glass or lightly polished metal, a koala’s print is so perfectly aligned with that of a human that it is easily mistaken for one.
Although no documented history points to a koala destroying any police case, the possibility does exist.
Visualise a courtroom, where a case is being presented and a single print is being displayed on a slide. The print has been passed through analysis and it is a confirmed print, however, the detective’s analysis suggests that the print does not belong to a human, but rather a Koala, a suspect that is completely furry and a creature that is more closely aligned to a tree than a human.
Koalas and Primates – Fingerprint Comparisons
It is hardly startling news that chimpanzees and gorillas have fingerprints as they are our closest relatives. The amazing thing is that koalas are not our relatives and their fingerprints are more distinct than even some primates.
Consider this: a chimp may bear some resemblance to us, but there is no way a scientist would mistake their fingerprints as human. A koala, on the other hand, has fake fingerprints that are capable of misleading a scientist. Clearly, Mother Nature has a funny side.
Final Thoughts : A Tiny Detail With a Big Surprise
The first time I came across this fact was a reminder of how much we have to appreciate nature. I remember wondering how is it even possible for such a different animal to leave behind prints so similar to ours.
This is precisely how Mother Nature is. She reminds us of how there are plenty of links that people assume are missing.
The next time you glance at your palm, remember that there is a koala on the other side of the hemisphere clasping a branch with fingers that could almost belong to you. Those little peculiarities help paint a fascinating picture of life’s oddities, and illustrate the level of marvel that surrounds us.
References :
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BBC News. https://www.bbc.com
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National Geographic.https://www.nationalgeographic.com
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Australian Museum. (n.d.). Koala – Phascolarctos cinereus. https://australian.museum
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New Scientist. (1996). Koalas have human-like fingerprints. https://www.newscientist.com
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Smithsonian Magazine. (2013). 10 Fascinating Facts About Koalas. https://www.smithsonianmag.com
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Scientific American. (2018). Why Do Animals Have Fingerprints? https://www.scientificamerican.com
