Ann Killeen's well-timed photograph of a fatal fight between a platypus and water rat has been selected for this month's issue of the prestigious Australian Geographic magazine.
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The prolific wildlife photographer from Rutherglen had been hanging out at one of her favourite platypus-spotting haunts at Sunday Creek, Wahgunyah when a loud shriek alerted her to a scuffle.
She discovered a rakali (water rat) and platypus in a "vigorous tussle" over what she believed to be a dispute about a burrow during breeding season in October.
The avid snapper spent the next 35 minutes trying to catch the often murky under-water stoush, which she said was "fairly one-sided" until the platypus managed to trap her foe under the water and drown the rakali.
The Australian Platypus Conservancy (APC) has described the encounter as an "exceptional sighting" and believed it could be the first documented interaction of this kind.
Although a platypus is typically larger than a rakali, the water rat has a "formidable set of sharp teeth" and is "known to successfully target prey up to the size of waterbirds", according to the APC.
Killeen originally thought a male platypus used its venomous spur to kill the rakali, but closer inspections revealed the platypus had the distinctive markings of a female, not armed with spurs - "though clearly not lacking in guile and determination!"
The APC said the platypus appeared to use its back legs to grasp the water-rat firmly and hold it underwater until it presumably drowned.
The fight started outside the entrance to a burrow that, based on Killeen's previous observations at the watering hole, housed both species on different occasions.
Ann said the two normally didn't have any interaction with each other.
She said initially the platypus worked its way across the creek trying to "shake off" the rakali before the fatal fight under the bridge.
"I was nearly hanging on by my toes trying to get it all on camera," the avid photographer laughed.
"It would have been useful if my partner Paul (Blake) had been there because he normally videos."
In a Facebook post on November 25, 2019 Killeen wrote, "Well here it is - my Australian Geographic moment!" after the photograph and details of the encounter was first picked up by the magazine's online division.
It may not have been Killeen's finest piece of photography - "a lot didn't translate unfortunately and all you can see is little brown bodies" - but her timing, as always, was spot on.
Australian Geographic later later asked if it could use the photograph in its January magazine because of the significance of her recordings.
Killeen has long held a fascination for platypus "purely because they are such an oddity" and has previously captured the mating antics of the often elusive monotreme.
She has since been asked to speak to several local landcare groups about her experiences with this remarkable native animal.
