P. t. repens differs by having a thin, black, postorbital stripe; one row of scales between the nasal and the supralabials as opposed to two, and reaching a maximum snout-to-vent length of 111 mm as opposed to 162 mm.
In 2006, Belgian conceptual artist Wim Delvoye introduced the world to his "Cloaca Machine", a mechanical art work that actually digests food and turns it into excrement, finally fulfilling Vaucanson's wish for a working digestive automation.
However after two years of discussion with David Walsh, Delvoye agreed to construct a custom Cloaca built specifically for the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Tasmania.