Creator Gould's Mammals of Australia (1845-1863)

Date 1863

The Rakali, or Water Rat (Hydromys chrysogaster) was once hunted for its soft fur and considered a pest animal, until a protection order in 1938. A campaign in the 1980s to rename the water rat by indigenous name, Rakali, was successfully reversed the stigma attached to this native Australian rodent. With a body size of around 30cm, Rakalis live in burrows on the banks of rivers, lakes and estuaries and feed on aquatic insects, fish, crustaceans, mussels, snails, frogs, birds' eggs and water birds. They are widespread across Australia and New Guinea. (Syn Hydromus fulvolavatus: Gould)

Source: Smithsonian Library