Poop and ID-ing reptiles

[tickerbox]

Hi everyone,

I have a "man-cave" at home that also appears to be the residence of several species of reptile.

I have seen plenty of Skinks, and also what I believe to be Broad-Tailed Geckos. There is also plenty of poop around. It's on the walls and also the floor. I have attached pics of both.

The Gecko unfortunately lost his 'broad tail' whilst hiding under the door when it got opened - with the tail he was nearly 7 inches long. There is also not even a single spider to be seen anywhere inside, not even a web, even though there are plenty on the outside in the garden. And it's a pretty big area too, about 50 mts2.

Anyway, back to the poop side of things...

All of the samples seem to be very consistant - black trail with a white tip.

1) Is this the Gecko's or the Skink's doo-doo?

2) Do all species of reptiles (snakes and lizards) produce a consistant and specific type of poop, or can it vary according to their diet on a given week?

3) Is there a table or poster or something available to assist people in identifying certain species of reptiles based on stool samples? This would be helpful as I live next to the National Park and we have all kinds of animals in our yard.

Knowing what's out there sure would bring peace of mind to a certain person in my life...

Cheers!

 

[eipper]

Gecko poo. Snake poo looks similar..... If you get real excited in the fecal (dark) part of the waste if you float it in water you can often find beetle wing casings legs etc. Also snake poo is usually larger and not in groups like your photo. Cheers

 

[tickerbox]

Gecko poo. Snake poo looks similar..... If you get real excited in the fecal (dark) part of the waste if you float it in water you can often find beetle wing casings legs etc. Also snake poo is usually larger and not in groups like your photo. Cheers

Thanks Eipper! I will try the 'float and quote' technique you describe and see what it reveals. I'm suspecting that there will be a lot of spider legs... I still have no idea how many of them might be living in here. Dozens or just a couple?

 

[Bushman]

You're correct about that being a Broad-tailed Gecko (Phyllurus platurus) and the faeces on the brick wall look reptilian, due to the white bits which are urates, which are characteristic of reptilian faeces. Because the faeces are on a vertical surface they're much more likely to be from the resident geckos rather than from skinks or snakes. As far as I know there's no book or guide that will allow you to distinguish between species according to faeces.

 

[tickerbox]

You're correct about that being a Broad-tailed Gecko (Phyllurus platurus) and the faeces on the brick wall look reptilian, due to the white bits which are urates, which are characteristic of reptilian faeces. Because the faeces are on a vertical surface they're much more likely to be from the resident geckos rather than from skinks or snakes. As far as I know there's no book or guide that will allow you to distinguish between species according to faeces.

Thanks Bushman! I did wonder what the white part was.

And, maybe a 'species to faeces' book could be a good project for someone..., (isn't that a Midnight Oil song)?