by Demand:
There have been documented cases of koala fingerprints confusing crime scene investigators because they resemble human fingerprints.
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Over the years, posts circulating on platforms including Instagram and iFunny have claimed that koala fingerprints found at crime scenes in Australia have confused investigators because of their resemblance to human fingerprints.
For example, in April 2024, a post from account X @Fact he said, “Koala fingerprints are almost indistinguishable from a human’s and have sometimes been confused at a crime scene.”
The account for the TV network Animal Planet made that same claim on Facebook in 2022:
While it is true that koalas have fingerprints similar to fingerprints, the claim that crime scene investigators confused the two is unfounded — we found no evidence to support it.
These amazing marsupials native to Australia have long been a subject of interest, not only for their cuddly appearance but also for their unique physiological characteristics.
Research carried out by scientists at the University of Adelaide in the mid-90s revealed that koalas have unique fingerprints that are very similar to human fingerprints. These fingerprints serve a variety of functions, including helping to grab leaves to eat when climbing trees, and facilitating sensory perception.
In the study, researchers examined the ridges and folds of koala fingerprints using a scanning electron microscope and found that their fingerprints rival humans in terms of complexity and individuality.
This similarity led to the notion that crime scene investigators could mistake koala fingerprints for humans, if koala prints happened to be present at the crime scene.
Maciej Henneberg, professor of anthropological and comparative anatomy at the University of Adelaide, explained to The Independent in 1996, “While it is extremely unlikely that koala prints would be found at a crime scene, the police should at least be aware of the possibility. .”
To learn more, Snopes spoke to Gemma Steingold, a former wildlife nurse and zookeeper at Taronga Conservation Society Australia, who has two decades of experience caring for native wildlife.
“I’ve worked with sick and injured koalas, both captive and wild,” Steingold told Snopes. “I also have healthy quarantined koalas coming and going from the zoo.”
Explaining why koalas have hands and feet instead of paws, Steingold said, “The difference between hands and paws is that they have opposable thumbs. The fact that digits one and two are forward, tells this is for us that the hands of koalas.”
Koala hands adapted to an arboreal lifestyle spent mainly in eucalyptus trees. These specialized limbs, equipped with five digits and sharp claws, make it easy to navigate tangled branches and their habitat with agility. The presence of opposable thumbs allows koalas to manipulate eucalyptus leaves for feeding, and their hind limbs, without functional thumbs, serve primarily for propulsion during climbing.
“Great apes also have human-like fingerprints. Koalas and humans, however, have the most similar prints,” Steingold said, adding that although it is possible that the fingerprints of humans and koalas could be briefly mistaken for some forensic sites, she is “not known to be mistaken” at crime scenes, due to the main differences between size and shape.
In 2018, as part of her Paris Review article on “The Surprising History (and Future) of Fingerprints,” journalist Chantel Tattoli investigated the claim of koala crime scene confusion. According to New South Wales Police Senior Sergeant Peter Hennessy:
“Although it would make a good story, unfortunately I have never heard of Australian Crime Scene Examiners mistaking koala fingerprints for those of a human.”
Even if we grant that the human fingerprints of koalas are a theoretical challenge for forensic investigators, especially in regions of Australia where koalas abound, forensic technology continues to develop, allowing scientists to better distinguish between human fingerprints and koala.
Snopes has previously investigated other strange animal-related claims, including the viral video of a man punching a kangaroo to save a dog and a purported photo of a hedgehog skeleton.
Sources:
Burrell, Ian. “Koalas make monkeys out of the police | The Independent.” The Independent7 December 1996. www.independent.co.ukhttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/koalas-make-a-monkey-out-of-the-police-1313275.html .
Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/AnimalPlanet/posts/koalas-and-human-fingerprints-are-so-similar-that-they-have-been-confused-at-cri/10159246207093375/ . Accessed 6 May 2024.
Henneberg, M., et al. “Fingerprint Homoplasy: Koalas and Humans.” Http://Naturalscience.Com/Ns/Articles/01-04/Ns_hll.Html1997. library.digital.adelaide.edu.auhttps://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/handle/2440/5433 .
“Koala, Facts and Photos.” Animals11 Apr. 2010, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/koala.
Our Koalas Have Almost Identical Fingerprints. 21 Sept. 2022, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/koala-fingerprints/.
“Koalas Have Fingerprints Just Like People.” Office of Science and Society, https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/did-you-know/koalas-have-fingerprints-just-humans. Accessed 6 May 2024.
“Physical Characteristics of the Koala.” Koala Foundation of Australia, https://www.savethekoala.com/about-koalas/physical-characteristics-koala/. Accessed 6 May 2024.
reverendpooponyous. “Koala Fingerprints Are So Like Humans That Even Crime Scene Investigators Confuse Them. HUMAN KOALA Nick Morrow @ NRMorrow Wait What Kind of Crime Scene Are Both Scenes.” Funny, https://ifunny.co/picture/bTffJ2o2A . Accessed 6 May 2024.
Sweeten-Shults, Lana. “Senior Investigative Forensic Science Projects.” GCU news2 Nov. 2022, https://news.gcu.edu/gcu-news/senior-forensic-science-projects-investigated/.
“Taronga Conservation Society Australia.” Taronga Conservation Society Australia, http://taronga.org.au/. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Tattoli, Chantel. “The Surprising History (and Future) of Fingerprints.” The Paris Review15 May 2018, https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/05/15/the-surprising-history-and-future-of-fingerprints/.
“You can be sweet and furry, but you’re Nicked.” New Scientist, https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg15220591-500-you-may-be-sweet-and-furry-but-youre-nicked/ . Accessed 6 May 2024.
