It would be difficult for a koala to commit a crime without being caught. Why? Because these marsupials that climb trees with babies in tow have fingerprints very similar to those of human beings, unique to each specimen , as a group of scientists from the University of Adelaide in Australia has just demonstrated.
Other animals such as chimpanzees and gorillas also have fingerprints. The extraordinary thing about koalas is that they developed them independently, since the branch from which they emerged separated from our ancestors 70 million years ago. And their close relatives, like kangaroos, lack fingerprints.
Researchers at the University of Adelaide speculate that fingerprints or dermatoglyphs may have emerged as a biomechanical adaptation to better grasp eucalyptus and grasp their leaves , on which they feed.
