Even if your local creek or lake doesn’t support a platypus population, it may well support rakali (or Australian water-rats). These otter-like native rodents have shared the platypus’s environment for several million years. In this section you can read about rakali biology and issues affecting rakali conservation, including:
- Size and general features
- Distribution and habitats
- Names and origins
- Reproduction
- Spatial use and shelter sites
- Conservation status and concerns
- Co-existence of rakali and platypus
How to report rakali sightings
Recent sightings of rakali/water-rats (including details of when and where the animal was seen) can be reported to the Australian Platypus Conservancy using the Reporting Form. The information will be added to a secure data base and eventually shared with the Atlas of Living Australia, thereby contributing valuable information to better understand where these animals occur and how well they’re doing in the wild.
Photo courtesy of Lissa Ryan