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Water Rats: Created by Hal McElroy, Tony Morphett, John Hugginson. With Brett Partridge, Peter Bensley, Toni Scanlan, Jay Laga'aia. Beneath its surface exists a playground for the murky underworld, pollution hazards, the remnants of huge drug hauls, and a graveyard of bodies from years of suicides, accidents and murders.
- (1.1K)
- 1996-02-12
- Action, Crime, Drama
- 60
- Overview
- Natural history
- Classification
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.
Britannica Quiz
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
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.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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.
- 6
- 177 (list of episodes)
- 12 February 1996 –, 7 August 2001
- Nine Network
Water Rats (TV Series 1996–2001) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
The Water-rat is one of Australia's largest rodents and is usually found near permanent bodies of water. Identification. Well adapted to aquatic life with its webbed hind feet and waterproof coat, the Water-rat can be identified by its large size and long tail with a white tip.
The Sydney Water Police investigate a fatal bombing on a charter ferry while at the same time trying to locate other explosive devices that may still be located in the harbour.
Oct 4, 2007 · Water rats, Hydromys chrysogaster are large, highly-specialised rodents, with broad, partially-webbed hind feet, water-repellent fur and streamlined bodies, and with their distinctive white-tipped tail and heavily whiskered face they strongly resemble otters.
