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Water Rats is a crime drama that follows the adventures of a team of detectives who work in the Sydney Harbour. The series features action, mystery, romance and drama, as well as the challenges of working in a dangerous and polluted environment.
- (1.1K)
- 1996-02-12
- Action, Crime, Drama
- 60
- Overview
- Natural history
- Classification
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water rat, any of 18 species of amphibious carnivorous rodents. They exhibit many adaptations associated with hunting in water for food and burrowing along streams, rivers, and lakes. The eyes are small, the nostrils can be closed to keep water out, and the external portion of the ears is either small and furry or absent. Highly sensitive whiskers ...
One of the smallest species is a South American fish-eating rat (Neusticomys monticolus) with a body length of 10 to 12 cm (4 to nearly 5 inches) and a tail of about the same length. The golden-bellied water rat (Hydromys chrysogaster) of Australia and New Guinea is the largest, with a body 20 to 39 cm long and a slightly shorter tail (20 to 33 cm). Living by freshwater lakes, estuaries, and rivers and in coastal mangrove swamps, it is tolerant of heavily polluted aquatic habitats. Its prey includes a variety of invertebrates, such as large aquatic insects, snails, mussels, crabs, and crayfish. Vertebrates taken include fish, frogs, turtles, young and adult birds, bird eggs, bats, and mice. The other 17 species typically require clear, unpolluted freshwater streams. The animals’ diet consists primarily of a variety of aquatic insects, but they also eat crustaceans and occasionally small fish. All water rats locate prey underwater by touch with their sensitive whiskers. Most are adept swimmers and aggressive underwater predators, but the African water rat (Colomys goslingi) wades through shallow water or sits at the water’s edge with its muzzle submerged; it is reported to eat some terrestrial insects and snails. Although most water rats are nocturnal, some species are active during the day.
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Water rats of the genus Hydromys live in the mountains and coastal lowlands of Australia, New Guinea, and some nearby islands. The earless water rat (Crossomys moncktoni) inhabits mountains of eastern New Guinea, where it prefers cold, fast-flowing streams bordered by tropical forest or grass. The African water rat is also found along streams bordered by tropical forest. The 11 water rats of the Western Hemisphere are found from southern Mexico into South America, where they typically live along streams in rainforests from sea level upward to mountain pastures above the tree line.
Although all water rats are members of the mouse family (Muridae), they belong to two different subfamilies. The genera Hydromys, Crossomys, and Colomys are classified in the subfamily Murinae (Old World mice and rats), whereas the American species are members of the subfamily Sigmodontinae (New World mice and rats). No water rats exist in the Asian tropics or at nontropical latitudes. Instead, carnivorous amphibious shrews and moles occupy the water rat’s ecological niche. The European water voles (genus Arvicola) are sometimes called water rats.
•Genus Hydromys (water rat)\t5 species.
•Genus Neusticomys (neotropical, or fish-eating, rats) \t5 species.
•Genus Ichthyomys (crab-eating water rats)\t3 species.
•Genus Chibchanomys (Chibchan water mice) \t2 species.
•Genus Crossomys (earless water rat) \t1 species.
Learn about water rat, a semi-aquatic rodent that lives in freshwater streams and rivers. Find out how water rats hunt, feed, and survive in different regions of the world.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Water Rats. (TV series) Water Rats is an Australian TV police procedural broadcast on the Nine Network from 1996 to 2001. The series was based on the work of Sydney Water Police who fight crime around Sydney Harbour and surrounding locales. The show was set on and around Goat Island in Sydney Harbour. Water Rats premiered on 12 February 1996 ...
- 6
- 177 (list of episodes)
- 12 February 1996 –, 7 August 2001
- Nine Network
Although native rodents are usually nocturnal, the Water-rat is most active around sunset and may even forage during the day. The burrow is usually hidden among vegetation and built along the banks of rivers and lakes. The round entrance has a diameter of about 15 cm. In dense populations, males are territorial and defend their areas aggressively.
The European water vole or northern water vole ( Arvicola amphibius ), is a semi-aquatic rodent. It is often informally called the water rat, though it only superficially resembles a true rat. [3] Water voles have rounder noses than rats, deep brown fur, chubby faces and short fuzzy ears; unlike rats their tails, paws and ears are covered with ...
- A. amphibius
- Arvicola
Rakali. The rakali ( Hydromys chrysogaster), also known as the rabe, the "Australian Otter" or water-rat, is an Australian native rodent first scientifically described in 1804. [2] Adoption of the Aboriginal name rakali is intended to foster a positive public attitude by Environment Australia. [3]
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Oct 4, 2007 · Water rats are large, webbed-footed rodents that live in freshwater habitats across Australia. They are carnivorous, nocturnal, and have a distinctive white-tipped tail and whiskers. Learn about their behaviour, diet, reproduction, and their ability to avoid cane toad poison.
