Yes. Koalas are one of the very few animals outside the primates with true fingerprints, and theirs look remarkably like ours. In 1997, researchers at the University of Adelaide examined koala fingertips under an electron microscope and found the same kinds of ridge patterns people have: loops, whorls and arches. It is the story behind the name NKD Koala.
Do koalas have fingerprints?
Koalas have ridged skin on the pads of their fingers, arranged in patterns that are strikingly similar to human fingerprints. Most mammals do not. Apart from koalas, fingerprints are mainly found in primates, such as chimpanzees and gorillas.
How similar are koala fingerprints to human fingerprints?
Very similar in pattern. The University of Adelaide study by Maciej Henneberg, Kosette Lambert and Chris Leigh described koala prints with loops and whorls that resemble human ones, and ridges of a similar size and shape. The study title called it "fingerprint homoplasy": the same trait appearing in two unrelated animals.
Why did koalas and humans both evolve fingerprints?
Nobody knows for certain. Koalas and humans are only distantly related, and our family lines split more than a hundred million years ago, so the two species arrived at fingerprints separately. Scientists call this convergent evolution. The most common explanation is that ridged fingertips help with gripping, and with feeling what is being gripped: a koala handling eucalyptus leaves and branches, and a human handling tools.
Could a koala print be mistaken for a human print at a crime scene?
This is a popular story, but there is no documented case of it happening, and fact-checkers have rated it as unfounded. The prints are similar in pattern, but a trained examiner looking closely can tell them apart. NKD Koala does not repeat the crime-scene story for that reason.
When do human fingerprints form?
Human fingerprints form in the womb, roughly between the thirteenth and nineteenth weeks of pregnancy, and they do not change after that. The pattern is shaped by the space a baby grows in, including the shape of the fingertip pads and how fast the fingers grow. Even identical twins have different fingerprints.
What do koala fingerprints have to do with skincare?
For NKD Koala, the koala is a reminder that looking the same on the surface says very little about what sits underneath. Two people can share a skin type label and still have skin that behaves very differently, shaped by climate, sun, hormones and habits. That is why NKD Koala makes ten single-purpose formulas and eight Rituals, and uses a five-question skin quiz that asks how your skin actually behaves rather than which category it fits.
Read more about the idea on our About page, or see why your skin type is not a category.
Sources
- Henneberg M, Lambert KM, Leigh CM. Fingerprint homoplasy: koalas and humans. naturalSCIENCE, vol. 1, no. 4, 1997. University of Adelaide. University of Adelaide digital library record.