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 favourite location being the wolf spider’s 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 west Victorian sheep paddock 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 poo.

Conservation’s best friend

Wildlife detection dogs use their sense of smell to locate plants, animals and fungi........

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