Photo-identification of grassland earless dragons

The Monaro grassland earless dragon (Tympanocryptis osbornei) is an endangered Australian reptile in need of our protection to ensure it remains in the wild for future generations.

Individuals of this species have unique and distinct patterns on their back, which we suspect could be useful in identifying individuals over time. We need your help to verify this. For this survey, we will test your ability to match images of the Monaro grassland earless dragon.

This survey contains 20 multiple choice questions. For each question, you will be provided a pool of several images to select a match from. The reptile image highlighted with a yellow dot is your 'query' reptile. Carefully examine the marking patterns on the head and back of each individual. The key is to pay attention to the shape and positioning of the markings only. Try to ignore the colour of the reptile, or any background details around the reptile. Dragons can change colour depending on temperature and their skin may appear brighter if they have shed their skin recently.

Your objective is to determine whether there is another image in the pool that shows the same individual as the 'query' reptile. For example, see how the reptiles shown below share some very similar marks/patterns on their backs. The reptile on the left is a match for the 'query' reptile on the right, and shows the same individual photographed on separate days.

For each question, there is one of three possible selections to make:

1) One of the images in the pool is of the same ‘query’ individual but photographed on a different day

2) One of the images in the pool is an exact copy of the ‘query’ individual

3) NONE of the images from the pool match the ‘query’ individual

If you think one of the images is a match for the 'query' individual, please click on that image. This image will light up in a light blue colour and will be your answer to that particular question. If you think NONE of the images are a match to the query, please click on the image 'no match' as your answer.

Once you have selected ONE answer, proceed to the next question by clicking 'next' at the bottom of the screen.

Thanks for contributing to our efforts to better understand one of Australia’s rarest and most endangered reptiles!

DISCLAIMER: you consent to completing an online survey, and having the survey answers recorded. The only information collected will be the answers to the survey questions, and no information regarding the identity of the participants will be collected or stored. Participants will not be identified in any reports arising from the project. However, it must be noted that Facebook has its own data collection policies. Additional information regarding Facebook’s survey privacy policy can be found at https://survey-app.co/privacy/. If there is anything you do not understand, or you have questions, please email John Gould (John.Gould@newcastle.edu.au). This project has been approved by the University’s Human Research Ethics Committee. Should you have concerns about your rights as a participant in this research, or you have a complaint about the manner in which the research is conducted, it may be given to the researcher, or, if an independent person is preferred, to the Human Research Ethics Officer, Research Services, NIER Precinct, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan NSW 2308, Australia, telephone (02) 4921 6333, email Human-Ethics@newcastle.edu.au.