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The koala is broadly similar in appearance to the wombat
(its closest living relative), but has a thicker coat, much
larger ears, and longer limbs. The koala has large, sharp
claws to assist with climbing tree trunks. Weight varies from
about 14 kg for a large southern male, to about 5 kg for a
small northern female. The koala's five fingers are arranged
with opposable thumbs, providing better gripping ability.
The first two fingers are positioned in apposition on the
front paws, and the first three fingers for the hind paws.
The koala is one of the few mammals (other than primates)
that has fingerprints. Koala fingerprints are similar to human
fingerprints; even with an electron microscope, it can be
quite difficult to distinguish between the two. A Koala Skeleton
The teeth of the koala are adapted to their herbivorous diet,
and are similar to those of other diprotodont marsupials,
such as kangaroos and wombats.
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