FlipFact of the Day: A koala’s fingerprints are so identical to a human’s that even an expert using a microscope would have trouble telling which is which. Aside from koalas, chimpanzees and gorillas are other examples of non-human animals with fingerprints. What’s really odd, however, is the fact that the last ancestor shared by marsupials (like koalas) and primates lived 70 million years ago!
Interestingly, kangaroos and other marsupials don’t have fingerprints, which has led scientists to conclude that koalas developed fingertips a bit later in their evolutionary history.
Today’s Science History Milestone: Today’s Science History Milestone: On August 12, 1990, the first few pieces of Sue, one of the largest and most complete 𝘛𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘹 specimens ever unearthed, were discovered at the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota, U.S.A.
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Cover: Macie Hennenberg/naturalSCIENCE
References
- https://www.livescience.com/14007-koalas-human-fingerprints.html
Author: Mikael Angelo Francisco
Bitten by the science writing bug, Mikael has years of writing and editorial experience under his belt. As the editor-in-chief of FlipScience, Mikael has sworn to help make science more fun and interesting for geeky readers and casual audiences alike.
