Common Water Rat vs Duck Hawk

Hydromys chrysogaster compared with Falco peregrinus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Water Rat	Duck Hawk
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Falconidae
Genus	Hydromys	Falco
Species	Hydromys chrysogaster	Falco peregrinus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Water Rat and Duck Hawk share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Common Water Rat

LC — Least Concern

Duck Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~140.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Water Rat	Duck Hawk
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	48 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Water Rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Duck Hawk

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Common Water Rat

<em>Hydromys chrysogaster</em>, commonly known as the common water rat or rakali, is a semi-aquatic rodent in the family Muridae, native to Australia and New Guinea. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, reflecting its relatively stable population across a broad range of freshwater and estuarine habitats on the Australian continent and associated islands. The species typically inhabits the banks of rivers, lakes, wetlands, and estuaries, where it constructs burrows in streambanks. It is highly adapted for an aquatic lifestyle, with partially webbed hind feet, a flattened head, and a dense waterproof coat. <em>Hydromys chrysogaster</em> is a carnivore, typically feeding on fish, crustaceans, mussels, frogs, and aquatic invertebrates, which it often carries to elevated feeding platforms to consume. The species is nocturnal and crepuscular, most active during early morning and evening hours near the water's edge. Biological traits including average lifespan, body length, and weight remain poorly documented in standardized databases, though adults are generally robust for a rodent, reportedly reaching body lengths of 20–35 cm excluding the tail. Geographic range details for this particular record remain incompletely documented in available data sources. Ecologically, the common water rat is an important apex predator in small-scale freshwater food webs and serves as an indicator species for wetland health in Australian riparian systems.

Duck Hawk

The fastest animal on the planet, peregrine falcons achieve aerial dive speeds exceeding 320 km/h when stooping on prey, stunning or killing birds in flight with a blow from their feet. Found on every continent except Antarctica in diverse habitats from Arctic tundra to tropical rainforest. Nearly extinct in North America and Europe from DDT poisoning in the 1960s–70s, peregrines recovered dramatically following pesticide bans and successful urban nesting programs.