Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Eric Hilaire and Joe Plimmer

Whose poo? Match the animal to its faeces

A compilation showing a bactrian camel, a western lowland gorilla, a Galápagos tortoise, a partula snail, a giant spiny stick insect, an Asian elephant, a socorro dove, a scimitar oryx, a komodo dragon and a meerkat
The poos of these animals feature in a collection of 120 dried animal faeces by Tracey Lee, a former zookeeper. Composite: David Levene, Linda Nylind, Getty, PA

Tracey Lee’s collection of animal faeces is on display in an exhibition, The Origin of the Faeces, which opens this weekend at Fusebox in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London.

There’s a hint beside each image to help you match the animal to its poo, and we can confirm there is no human excrement on show. But the following discharges from all creatures great and small do feature:

Bactrian camel
Western lowland gorilla
Galápagos tortoise
Partula snail
Giant spiny stick insect
Asian elephant
Socorro dove
Scimitar oryx
Komodo dragon
Meerkat

Answers below

1. These dumps belonged to a former resident of London Zoo called Geetha.

Three large, round poos with what looks like straw in them

2: These island dwellers are extinct in the wild but their faecal matter will hopefully splatter the ground once again when captive-bred animals are returned to the wild.

A splattering of light brown poo with some darker and white bits.

3: This stool’s owner might be found adhering to a twig.

Three small pellets of dark poo

4: This poo is drier than most, thanks to this creature’s talent for extracting water from everything it eats.

Nine balls of poo

5: These carnivorous animals produce a number two only every five days or so.

A large poo, about the size of a hamster

6: You might encounter this ordure on an archipelago.

A large, dry poo that looks like a giant tadpole with lots of twigs in it

7: These kebab-like discharges were created by “a lovely lady” called Zaire who once lived at London Zoo.

A long, thin poo that looks like a a close string of beads

8: This poo’s owner was extinct in the wild but has now returned, thanks to an ongoing captive breeding and reintroduction programme.

A tiny, light brown pellet of poo

9: This pile of poo was created by a desert dweller that was driven to extinction in the wild. Reintroduction programmes are under way.

A high pile of dark brown poo pellets

10: Are you still alert? Compare the crap to work out this one.

A long thin S-shaped poo

Answers

1. Asian elephant

An Asian elephant in a rice field

2. Sorocco dove

Socorro dove on a log

3. Giant spiny stick insect

4. Bactrian camel

A young and adult Bactrian camel eat grass together

5. Komodo dragon

A Komodo dragon flicks its tongue while walking

6. Galapagos tortoise

A Galapagos tortoise looks upwards

7. Western lowland gorilla

A western lowland gorilla stands next to a tree with a large ruler propped against it

8. Partula snail

A partula snail climbs over the edge of a bucket with the number five written on it

9. Scimitar oryx

Scimitar oryx grazing on grassland

10. Meerkat

A meerkat stands on scales and holds a zookeeper’s clipboard during London Zoo’s annual weigh-in
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.