Water Rat

Hydromys chrysogaster

Adult Water Rats are the size of a small possum. The upperparts can vary from grey-brown to rich golden brown to blackish in colour, while the underparts are cream to golden-orange. Its hind paws are webbed and it has a flat furry white-tipped tail that acts like a rudder. It has glossy water-repellent fur.

The water rat is found in permanent fresh or brackish water, including freshwater lakes, streams, swamps, dams and urban rivers. It is one of only two Australian mammals living in fresh water (the other is the platypus). Although reasonably common, they are rarely seen.

The water rat is a fierce hunter, favouring tree-roots on river banks as regular feeding spots. It forages by swimming underwater and feeds on a wide range of prey including large insects, plants, crustaceans, mussels, fish, and small mammals and water birds.

The water rat is mostly active around sunset when it comes out to feed, although it has also been known to forage during the day. It builds a grass-lined nest at the entrance to its burrow which is usually hidden among vegetation and built at the end of tunnels in banks of rivers and lakes. Water Rats like to collect their food and then dine at a regular 'feeding table', leaving a mess of discarded claws, shells, bones and other inedible matter.