Science is Fun Fridays!

An older story but I was recently made aware of it.

 

Humans aren't the only animals with a fingerprint - chimps and gorillas have them, but did you know about the koala?  Our fingerprints are so similar, even careful analysis under a microscope cannot easily distinguish them.

Koala prints seem to have evolved independently as their closest relatives, wombats and kangaroos, do not have them.

According to anatomists, "The origin of dermatoglyphes (fingerprints) is best explained as the biomechanical adaptation to grasping, which produces multidirectional mechanical influences on the skin.  These forces must be precisely felt for fine control of movement and static pressures and hence require orderly organization of the skin surface." 

It is also believed that koalas are able to inspect their food with their fingerprints, which allows them to ascertain the aged eucalyptus leaves they prefer.

Science