emydura
Well-Known Member
Here is something a bit different. It is a water rat, which is a native rodent to Australia and New Guinea. It is generally quite shy but around human habitation they can get quite tame as is the case with this animal which is found at our local lake.
The poor old water rat does have an image problem as it is generally mistaken for the Black Rat, which it is nothing like. They can easily be identified by the webbed feet (see first photo) and the long tail with a white tip. I often here people say "Look its an otter" (no otters in Australia), followed by "no its not. It's a rat. Oh that's disgusting. But they are incredibly graceful swimmers". Which they are. My daughter and I love watching these guys swimming and diving around. The water rat is a fully protected native species.
The water rat is the only Australian mammal that is active during the day. People from overseas are always surprised how few mammals they see when in Australia. That is because they are all nocturnal with the exception of the water rat.
The poor old water rat does have an image problem as it is generally mistaken for the Black Rat, which it is nothing like. They can easily be identified by the webbed feet (see first photo) and the long tail with a white tip. I often here people say "Look its an otter" (no otters in Australia), followed by "no its not. It's a rat. Oh that's disgusting. But they are incredibly graceful swimmers". Which they are. My daughter and I love watching these guys swimming and diving around. The water rat is a fully protected native species.
The water rat is the only Australian mammal that is active during the day. People from overseas are always surprised how few mammals they see when in Australia. That is because they are all nocturnal with the exception of the water rat.