Rakali fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are rakali?

A rakali is a native Australian water rat. It is a mammal and a rodent, but it is not the same as an introduced black rat or brown rat. Rakali are also called Australian water rats, common water rats or golden-bellied water rats.

Rakali are present in Lane Cove National Park, where they use suitable waterways, creek banks and sheltered edges for feeding, nesting and movement. They can be difficult to see because they are often active at dusk, at night or in the early morning.

Rakali are one of Australia’s largest native rodents and are specially adapted for life around water. They have dense waterproof fur, small ears, long whiskers, partly webbed hind feet and a thick tail that is usually white at the tip. Their fur can be dark grey, brown or almost black on the back, with a white to orange belly.

The name rakali comes from the Ngarrindjeri people of the lower Murray River and Coorong region in South Australia.

A rakali.

A rakali rests in shallow water among reeds and wetland plants.

Where do rakali live?

Rakali live near permanent water. They use freshwater creeks, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands, and can also live around brackish or salt water in estuaries, mangroves and sheltered coastal places.

Rakali dig burrows in banks or shelter among roots, logs, reeds and dense vegetation near water. Healthy creek banks and thick native plant edges help protect them and the animals they eat. In Sydney, rakali may use waterways around bushland, wetlands and river edges where there is suitable water, shelter and food.

A swimming rakali leaves ripples as it moves across the water.

What do rakali eat?

Rakali are mostly carnivores. They hunt in and around water for aquatic insects, yabbies, crabs, mussels, freshwater snails, fish and frogs. They may also eat lizards, small mammals, bird eggs or small waterbirds when they can catch them.

After catching food, a rakali may carry it to a regular feeding place near the water. Shells, fish scales or other food scraps left together can sometimes show where a rakali has been feeding.

Rakali can catch fish and other aquatic animals in waterways.

What is the life cycle of rakali?

Rakali are mammals, so their young are born alive and feed on milk from their mother. In cooler southern parts of Australia, young are most often born in spring and summer, although breeding can happen when conditions are suitable.

Pregnancy has been recorded as lasting about 33 to 41 days in captivity. Mothers usually raise about three to five young at a time. The young feed on milk for about a month and grow near the safety of the burrow or nest before becoming more independent.

A rakali grows from a milk-fed young animal into an independent hunter around waterways.

What adaptations do rakali have to help them survive?

Partly webbed hind feet help rakali paddle through water. Their streamlined body and thick tail help them swim and steer. Dense fur helps repel water, and small ears reduce drag as they move through the water.

Long whiskers help rakali sense prey and obstacles in dark or cloudy water. Their strong teeth and paws help them catch, hold and eat prey with shells, scales or hard body parts. Their dark fur and mostly dusk or night-time behaviour also help them stay hidden from predators and people.

Long whiskers, small ears and dense waterproof fur help rakali swim and hunt around water.

Why are rakali important?

Rakali are native predators in aquatic food webs. By feeding on animals such as insects, crustaceans, molluscs, fish and frogs, they help move energy through waterways and wetland edges.

The presence of rakali can show that a waterway has useful habitat features, such as permanent water, prey animals, shelter and stable banks. Because local populations can decline when creek edges are cleared or waterways are degraded, rakali remind us that healthy waterways need clean water, native vegetation and safe shelter.

Sheltered creek banks and wetland edges provide feeding and movement areas for rakali.

How can you help rakali?

Protect creek banks, pond edges and wetland plants. Stay on tracks, keep rubbish out of drains and waterways, and leave logs, rocks, reeds and native vegetation in place.

Keep cats contained and dogs on leads near bushland and waterways. Do not leave fishing line, hooks, nets or enclosed traps where wildlife can become tangled or drown. Observe rakali quietly from a distance and report injured wildlife to a trained wildlife rescue organisation.

Protecting Lane Cove River and its creek banks helps rakali, aquatic animals and wetland habitats.

Related fact sheets

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• Bogul fact sheet⁠ – Learn about another Australian rodent.
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• Water habitats fact sheet⁠ – Learn about creeks, ponds, wetlands and other water habitats.
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• Eastern snake-necked turtle fact sheet⁠ – Learn about a freshwater turtle that uses ponds, wetlands and slow-moving waterways.
• Pacific black duck fact sheet⁠ – Learn about a common waterbird found in wetlands and waterways.
• Dusky moorhen fact sheet⁠ – Explore a wetland bird that shelters and feeds among water plants.
• Striped marsh frog fact sheet⁠ – Learn about a frog that lives around ponds, wetlands and damp places.
• Common eastern froglet fact sheet⁠ – Learn about a small frog that uses damp habitats and shallow water.

Food webs and ecological relationships

• Dragonfly fact sheet⁠ – Explore aquatic insect predators that begin life in water.
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