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✦ WILD ARCADE
RIVER DETECTIVES / THE eDNA TRAILFREE PLAY · NO ACCOUNT NEEDED

LITTLE TRACES. BIG DISCOVERIES.

Who’s living in this water?

Choose a Victorian river or the ocean off Cape Otway, explore and discover the wildlife that could leave DNA in the water. A quick 2–3 minute mission.

  1. 01 Region
  2. 02 Explore
  3. 03 Sample
  4. 04 Send
  5. 05 Discover
FIELD MISSION / CHOOSE A SITEVICTORIA / EIGHT EXPEDITIONSFIELDWORK 100 / 100

FIRST, CHOOSE YOUR WATERWAY

Where will your expedition begin?

Pick a pin or an expedition card. Seven rivers and one ocean adventure, with different landscapes and regional wildlife clues.

Victoria state boundary with seven river areas and one ocean area. Select a pin or the matching accessible expedition button below.Upper YarraOvensGlenelgBarwonGoulburnWimmeraSnowyOff Cape OtwayVICTORIAVictorian Government boundary · pins indicate expedition areas, not sampling access
FIELD NOTEBOOK

Your mission

Survey wildlife in the main river channel. Find a safe bank with moving water, clear of stirred-up sediment and obvious runoff. Walk towards the lettered sampling spots.

About the sampling method and sources

This is a simplified educational simulation using the syringe-and-disc-filter workflow described in EnviroDNA’s water-kit guide and its illustrated instructions. The scenes, samples and results are fictional. The Cape Otway mission illustrates marine sampling principles; real marine kits, preservation and storage must be agreed with the laboratory. Filtration and laboratory time are shortened for play.

Real surveys need a sampling plan agreed with the laboratory, appropriate controls and the current instructions supplied with the kit. This quick game demonstrates four 50 mL fills through one filter, totalling 200 mL for practice; this is not a recommended field target. Real sampling plans specify volumes, replicates and controls; it is not a complete field protocol. No sponsorship or endorsement by EnviroDNA is implied.

Regional fauna examples are curated from waterway authorities and linked in each report. The Victorian eDNA results explorer is linked for comparison; this game does not fetch live survey data. Landscapes are simplified impressions, not exact sites. Map outline: Victorian Government state boundary, simplified for fast loading.

For interpretation, see the USGS eDNA best-practice guidance. Monitoring plans also need to consider repeat visits, sampling conditions and the question being investigated.

Learn environmental DNA through an interactive eDNA game

Environmental DNA, or eDNA, is genetic material organisms leave in their surroundings. River Detectives introduces water sampling and biodiversity monitoring: choose a Victorian river or Cape Otway ocean expedition, inspect sampling sites, prepare a clean kit and push water through a filter. Read simulated wildlife results and learn why a DNA detection does not tell you how many animals live there.

What does this eDNA sampling game teach?

Practise site selection, contamination prevention, filter handling, volume recording and interpretation of environmental DNA results. Pop-ups explain 50 mL syringe fills and the difference between refills and replicate samples. Wildlife results are simulated teaching examples; real sampling follows the laboratory’s current protocol.

Can I use it for eDNA learning?

Use the game as a short introduction to environmental DNA for classrooms, families or community biodiversity discussions. It is free to play without an account. Read the linked sampling sources alongside the game when exploring real field methods.

Explore more: eDNA sampling game · kelp forest restoration game · sponge restoration game · habitat deployment game.