Mondo Knows Facts

Koala fingerprints are nearly identical to human fingerprints

Even under electron microscopes, koala print loops are hard to distinguish.

Dermal ridges on koala fingertips evolved independently to provide grip when climbing eucalyptus trees and handling leaves. The loop and whorl patterns are so similar to human fingerprints that crime scene investigators have occasionally mistaken them for human evidence.

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), Sรญdney, Australia18
Diego Delso ยท CC BY 3.0 ยท licence ยท source

Where this comes from

San Diego Zoo

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Tags: koala, mammals, anatomy

Koala fingerprints are nearly identical to human fingerprints: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?
Even under electron microscopes, koala print loops are hard to distinguish. The figure is taken from San Diego Zoo, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a animals fact?
Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?
The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.