This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Many of the Australian animals most at risk of extinction are extremely tough to track down. That's because they live in small pockets of disappearing nature, such as rare grasslands or ancient forests, in worryingly low numbers.
One of the most obscure is the Victorian grassland earless dragon (Tympanocryptis pinguicolla). These lizards can be identified by the three white stripes that run along their light brown bodies. But their minuscule size, with a body about the length of your pinky finger, makes them difficult to spot.
This allows them to be creative with where they sleep—their favorite location being wolf spiders' tiny burrows. The Victorian grassland earless dragon currently wears the heavy crown of Australia's most imperiled reptile. The destruction of their native grasslands is a major reason why.
But after evading detection for more than 50 years, this lizard was rediscovered in a sheep pasture in western Victoria in 2023. This remains the only known population in the world. This new study, led by La Toya Jamieson from Zoos Victoria, investigated whether wildlife detection dogs could help us protect these little dragons—by first finding their poop.
Wildlife detection dogs use their sense of smell to locate plants, animals and fungi in their natural environment. These dogs play a pivotal role in conservation efforts across the globe—all for the reward of a toy, cuddle or handful of treats. But to detect a critically endangered animal species, you don't always need to find the actual animal.
Sometimes, just their poop will do. Samples of animal poop—also known as scat—can provide valuable information about the health, diet and distribution of a specific animal or an entire population. They can also confirm whether a species is present in a certain area.
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