#H. chrysogaster

[hasellia]

I've seen one of these guys. We had never heard of a Rakali before that point. We almost killed it, thinking it was an invasive Black rat or Norway rat.

Australians, please educate yourselves and others (like our education and tourism governmental bodies) on the less charismatic wildlife that we share our land with.

Rakali Facts!

They are one of the few native placental mammals to Australia! No introduction by European invaders!

Look at em feet, they're webbed! All the better for swimming!

Many Australians watched in horror as a Rakali raided and stole Fairy Penguin chicks on TV.

In the Biladurang dreaming story, the Platypus is the child of a non-consensual marriage between a Duck and a Rakali. (I know it might be weird to see kids performing this story, but don't be racist or an arsehole).

Cane toads are an introduced and abundant species in Australia with few predators. The Rakali however, have figured out how to harmlessly eat the toads by dissecting them and neatly placing the poison glands away from the meat.

Plotting... Scheming...

Australian Water Rat aka Rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster), family Muridae, Australia

Aquatic, predatory, and nocturnal rat, native to Australia.

photograph by Terry Genesen Becker