Rakali
Hydromys chrysogaster É. Geoffroy, 1804
The rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster) is a species in the family Muridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 479.8 g to 738.1 g and live up to 7.23 years. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the rakali
- Weight
- 479.8 g – 738.1 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 7.23 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 7.3 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 36 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.8src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 4.43 months – 5.35 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 2.12src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
Where does the rakali live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The rakali is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the rakali?
The rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster), also known as the rabe, the "Australian otter" or water-rat, is an Australian native rodent first scientifically described in 1804. Adoption of the Ngarrindjeri name rakali is intended to foster a positive public attitude by Environment Australia.
One of four described species in the genus Hydromys, it is the only one with a range extending beyond New Guinea. Having adapted to and colonised a unique niche of a semiaquatic and nocturnal lifestyle, this species lives in burrows on the banks of rivers, lakes and estuaries and feeds on aquatic insects, fish, crustaceans, mussels, snails, frogs, cane toads, bird's eggs and small water birds.
Rakali have a body length of 23–37 cm (9–15 in), weigh 340–1,275 g (12–45 oz), and have a thick tail measuring around 24–35 cm (9–14 in). Females are generally smaller than males but tail lengths are normally the same. They have partially webbed hind legs, waterproof fur, a flattened head, a long blunt nose, many whiskers and small ears and eyes. The body is streamlined with a skull that is large, flat and elongated, with two molars on the upper and lower jaw, similar to the water mouse. They are black to brown in colour with an orange to white belly, and dark tail with a white tip.
Long considered a nuisance animal, rakali were hunted for their soft fur, particularly in the Depression of the 1930s, when a ban was placed on imported pelts such as the American muskrat. With their numbers under threat, a protection order was issued in 1938. However, they were still subject to destruction permits from 1938 to 1957 due to their effect on irrigation banks and alleged damage to fishing nets. Additionally, from 1957 to 1967 a number of licensed seasons were also held for this reason.
From the Wikipedia article “Rakali” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rakali&oldid=1383270097), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the rakali endangered?
The rakali is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the rakali classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderRodentia
- familyMuridae
- genusHydromys
- SpeciesHydromys chrysogaster É. Geoffroy, 1804
Synonyms Hydromys beccarii, Hydromys chrysogaster caurinus, Hydromys chrysogaster reginae, Hydromys esox, Hydromys esox illuteus, Hydromys fuliginosus, Hydromys fulvogaster, Hydromys fulvolavatus, Hydromys fulvoventer, Hydromys grootensis, Hydromys lawnensis, Hydromys leucogaster, Hydromys longmani, Hydromys melicertes, Hydromys moae, Hydromys nauticus, Hydromys oriens
Other names and names in other languages (24)
- Austalian water ratEnglish
- Common water ratEnglish
- Common water ratEnglish
- Common water ratEnglish
- Golden-bellied water ratEnglish
- Golden-bellied water ratEnglish
- RabeEnglish
- Water ratEnglish
- Water-ratEnglish
- راكاليArabic
- جرذ الماء الشائعArabic
- Goldbauch-SchwimmratteGerman
- BiberratteGerman
- Κοινός ΥδρόμυςGreek
- Rata de agua australianaSpanish
- australianvesirottaFinnish
- Rat d'eau australienFrench
- Hydromys de AustralieFrench
- Ratto d'acqua comuneItalian
- オオミズネズミJapanese
- Australsk VannrotteNorwegian Bokmål
- Australische BeverratDutch
- Bobroszczur złotobrzuchyPolish
- Златобрюхая водяная крысаRussian
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the rakali
Other species in the same genus Hydromys.
Western water rat
Hydromys hussoni
New Britain water rat
Hydromys neobritannicus
Ziegler's water rat
Hydromys ziegleri
CompareRakali vs Western water ratRakali vs New Britain water ratRakali vs Ziegler's water ratRakali vs Hydromys lutrilla
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the rakali?
An adult rakali weighs 479.8 g – 738.1 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Where does the rakali live?
Catalogue of Life checklists list the rakali for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.
Is the rakali endangered?
The rakali is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the rakali live?
The rakali has a recorded lifespan of 7.23 years.
How long is the rakali pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 36 days.
What kind of animal is the rakali?
The rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster) belongs to the family Muridae in the order Rodentia.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/rakali
“Rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/rakali.
@misc{rakali_2026,
title = {Rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/rakali},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}