Most underrated native creature in a vote
The rakali, or water rat as I always knew it during my childhood, has just won Australia’s Most Underrated Native Creature in a vote ABC put to the public.
I actually voted for the short-finned eel, as I couldn’t help backing a true underdog because I was sure the rakali would win hands down.
The rakali has always been a favourite critter to me. I have fond memories of the resident channel dwellers crossing over the dirt road in front of me as I pedalled to the bus stop on foggy winter mornings. Back then, their numbers were quite plentiful and Loch Garry was full of them and every channel seemed to have resident rakali. Only just recently, since the 2022 flood, I’ve been encouraged by their return and increase in numbers.
What exactly is a rakali?
The rakali is an aquatic rodent which occupies Papua New Guinea, Australia and some offshore islands. They are highly specialised for foraging in the water with their partially webbed hind feet and thick waterproof fur. Their head shape is a lot flatter than an introduced rodent and they can get quite large. Their colour can vary from grey, brown to a beautiful rufous colour or orange. A telltale feature is their long, thick tail which has a white tip, similar to the white tip which ring-tailed possums possess.
They can be found in every state and territory in inland creeks, rivers, wetlands, channels and dams but are also comfortable in coastal estuaries, waterways and sheltered bays along our coastline.
Rakali’s diet consists of fish, yabbies, shrimp and pretty much anything that they’re able to catch in their watery environment. They will take ducklings and other bird chicks from the water and I observed one drag a complete deceased swan, that was illegally shot on Loch Garry by duck shooters, out into the centre of the wetland and proceed to feed on it, so scavenging is not beyond them either. Although their numbers in some waterways can be in higher density than others, they are predominantly solitary and can fight amongst each other.
They can swim up to 200m to a kilometre each night in their foraging activities.
At first glance, you may be mistaken by thinking you’ve found a platypus when you see them swimming on the surface, with their head and part of their body sitting low on the top of the water with intermittent duck diving. I’ve also observed them doing cute jumping dives over and over again, almost as though they are playing.
Rakali are predominantly nocturnal but also forage in daylight, particularly on cold, winter days. Although they are built for spending long periods in the water, temperature dictates how long they can spend foraging before they need to dry out and take a break as they are very sensitive to getting too cold or too hot below 15 degrees and above 35 degrees Celsius. So if you are searching to find one to observe, it depends on weather and time of year to when they’ll be out and about. Dawn and dusk are usually good times almost all year round.
Rakali will have dens in vegetated banks, hollow logs, particularly ones that are partially submerged and even in dense rushes or vegetation. In areas where natural den sites are no longer available due to habitat loss, they have been found to use artificial things like storm water pipes, etc as a poor substitute.
Originally in Australia they were considered a nuisance species, blamed for destroying fishing nets and irrigation channel banks. Like many Australian natives, humans have been their biggest predator. Populations were decimated by them being hunted for their fur and being destroyed as they were considered a pest. They had to be protected by 1938 due to populations becoming alarmingly scarce. Their numbers built up again but permits were still available to warrant their destruction up until 1957 and Rakali hunting seasons occurred from 1957 to 1967 to mitigate the alleged damage to nets and banks.
Another interesting fact about the rakali is they have learnt to eat cane toads, targeting the toad’s liver and heart as a delicacy. They flip them over and avoid the toxic glands. They are one of the few native predators of this invasive toad as most animals who kill and eat them die from the poisonous glands.
In 1995 the Australian Nature Conservation Agency suggested the common name of the Water Rat be changed to Rakali in a bid to make them more appealing in the public eye to help set them apart from the introduced pest species of rats. This name was successfully adopted by most, although both names are still commonly used and accepted.
I love our rakali and when I can, I sit quietly on the banks of Loch Garry, waiting for one of our residents to appear, delighting in observing their behaviour. I missed them when their numbers had declined so much that it had become uncommon to see one. Since the 2022 flood, I’ve been encouraged by their return and increase in numbers.
