Rakali: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Little Mammals · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. Built for water, this rodent has partly webbed back feet, waterproof fur and long whiskers. Look for the white tip on its dark tail.
2. Where invasive cane toads have arrived, rakali hunt them safely: they flip the toad on its back to avoid the poison glands on its shoulders.
3. Near towns, rakali make homes in surprising places: drainage pipes, old rubber tyres and even the exhaust pipes of moored boats.
4. It may live in water, but a rakali can run twice as fast as its top swimming speed, and moving on land uses less oxygen.
5. Long called the water-rat or 'Australian otter', it now goes by rakali, a Ngarrindjeri name chosen to help people see it in a kinder light.

The quiz

1. What marks the end of a rakali's dark tail?

• A red stripe
• A white tip (correct)
• A flat paddle of scales
• A tuft of yellow fur

Its dark tail ends in a white tip.

2. How do rakali avoid the poison of cane toads?

• They wash the toads in mud first
• They never go near cane toads
• They wait for the toads to dry out
• They flip the toads onto their backs (correct)

Flipping the toad over keeps the rakali away from its poisonous shoulder glands.

3. Which of these has a rakali been found using as a shelter?

• The exhaust pipe of a moored boat (correct)
• A rooftop chimney
• A bird box on a pole
• A car engine on the road

Rakali have used drainage pipes, tyres and exhaust pipes in moored boats.

4. How does a rakali's running speed compare with its top swimming speed?

• It is half as fast
• It cannot run at all
• It is twice as fast (correct)
• It is ten times as fast

Rakali can run at twice their maximum swimming speed.

5. Where does the name 'rakali' come from?

• A Latin word for water
• The Ngarrindjeri people (correct)
• A river in France
• A sailor's nickname

Rakali is a Ngarrindjeri name, adopted to encourage a positive public attitude.

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