It doesn't sound like a great defense strategy. But the scent of a lizard may be the best weapon against the threat of poaching.

Key points:

A team of Australian researchers is building "Electronic nose"

The device replicates the role of sniffer dogs in detecting crime.

Hopefully the "nose" will help combat the native reptile trade.

A team of xo Australian researchers is developing an electronic drone that scientists believe could be. "Game changer" in preventing the smuggling of native wildlife outside the country The device essentially simulates the behavior of sniffer dogs and is used by customs and postal authorities to find wildlife hidden in parcels and luggage.According to financial intelligence AUSTRAC, native reptiles are the most trafficked of living animals in Australia. A single lizard can sell on the black market for up to $ 20,000.The lucrative price tag means wildlife trading has become a huge spinner for crime, generating projected $ 23 billion annually.University of Technology Sydney (UTS) forensic chemist Dr Maiken Ueland is part of the team leading the work to develop the device.An electronic drone could really be a game changer, ”said Dr Yuland.

If you can scan all incoming mail, all incoming bags, it will save a lot of time and mean we can arrest a lot of the illegal wildlife trade that is yet to be detected.Electronic drone to combat wildlife trade Initially, the device was designed to detect the smell of shingle or guppy, as is known in Western Australia, as the lizard is one of the most traded Australian species.

Shingles is popular because it's only found in Australia, ”said Dr Greta Frankham, a wildlife forensicologist at the Australian Museum.Collectors abroad want rare or rare items.The Australian Museum, a research partner, is the country's forensic wildlife hub and wildlife crime enforcement agency, turned to expert advice and assistance in litigation.Detecting illegal wildlife can be difficult," said Dr. Frankham.They might wrap [animals] in bandages or put them on things ... They might put items in a suitcase or a package that would try to seduce the dog so that it didn't smell."

Electronic drone development project not only But improve detection But also provides important new DNA information on the lizards.Knowing where they come from in the wild can help us have better strategies for trying to prevent poaching in the first place," said Dr. Frankham.Small compounds that are difficult to disguise While the human nose can't smell reptiles. But trained dogs can, as all animals tend to smell.In a scientific sense, this smell is the result of volatile organic compounds or chemicals released into the air.The type of scent it produces largely depends on the type of food the animal eats as well as the genetic makeup.The advantage of the team of scientists is that these compounds are extremely difficult to disguise.

Volatile organic compounds [these] also have the advantage of being very small," said Dr Uland.So they can escape from the package, which means we can detect odors from outside the package.

Want more WA news?

Did you know that we have a local version of the ABC News homepage? See below to find out how to set yours up and get more WA stories.(Hint: You will need to return to the home page to do this.)

How to set up State News Edition (Gfycat)

Dr Ueland said the team is sampling more than 100 shingles from across the country as scientists expect the lizards to emit different scents depending on where they live.The research team is looking for a method that not only But only identified live animals in the package But also animal powders or body parts that still smell Finding a method that can detect them at any stage - [both] living species that will be slightly more aromatic and those powders and figurines that may be more difficult to detect," said Dr. .The humble short tail hunted for a trade. 'Exotic pet'Amber Brown, a UTS researcher, spent the past year traveling the country collecting scent samples from four different strains of Shingleback.WA is the only state home to all four subspecies, so it's a prime location for the team.