# Rakali (*Hydromys chrysogaster*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/rakali  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 479.8 g – 738.1 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 7.23 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 7.3 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 36 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.8 |
| Age at maturity | 4.43 months – 5.35 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2.12 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | 1 country |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Rodentia
- family: Muridae
- genus: Hydromys
- species: *Hydromys 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*

## Countries on record

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.

Australia

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/rakali