usa is over 700,000 miles There are enough public sewer pipes to circle the earth 28 times. Every day, people pour billions of gallons of wastewater into vast underground systems.

Rainwater is added to this and flows through storm drains. America’s sewers contain high concentrations of domestic and human waste, and although they are not obvious refuges for wildlife, they are still home to many species. Some are casual visitors. Some people are more intentional. Here are 10 species found in American sewers.

10 U.S. Sewer Dwellers

crocodile

Listen to the stories floating around New York’s sewers and you’ll find that the pipes are home to a thriving community of “sewer alligators.” Not true! These strange pets may end up in underground pipes, but the environment there is too cold and contaminated for them to survive.

Florida, on the other hand, is a different story. In 2024, researchers installed 39 cameras in 33 locations in Gainesville’s sewer system and kept them running. what I discovered urban naturalist, They were surprised by the diversity they recorded. Thirty-five different species were identified, including the American crocodile.

Most of the locations where alligators were recorded were in sections of sewer lines that run under roads, known as culverts. Scientists therefore believe the reptiles were using waterways to avoid crossing roads and move safely between ponds. In some recordings, the crocodile appeared to corner the fish into a dead-end tunnel. Therefore, crocodiles may also be using this artificial ecosystem as a hunting ground.

“These teeth are no ordinary teeth, because not only are they razor sharp and coated with iron, but they also have a pair of poison glands in their lower jaws.”

yellow-eared slider

The yellow-eared slider is a semi-aquatic turtle native to the southeastern United States and is the most common turtle species. As the name suggests, they have yellow bellies buried beneath a domed carapace that is a murky brown river hue.

They are also known as basking turtles, which love to bask in the sun, and can grow to the size of a dinner plate as adults. Although they are commonly kept as pets, their true habitat is wild freshwater swamps, swamps, and ponds.

Sewers contain a high proportion of fresh water, but are highly contaminated. it doesn’t matter. In the Gainesville study, yellow-eared sliders were the second most photographed reptile after alligators. Twenty-seven records were taken, and the turtles always preferred a small number of locations where water was present. Like alligators, sliders also appear to use pipes as passageways to move between ponds, indicating that sewers can have a positive effect on some animals that frequent them.

raccoon

If you live in America, you probably know that, raccoon Don’t poke their button noses. Trash cans, attics, liquor stores…so of course they end up invading the sewer system.

Raccoons frequently rely on city sewer and storm drainage systems for shelter and transportation, which can sometimes lead to dramatic rescues when they become trapped. A memorable piece, YouTube worthy eventfirefighters and wildlife experts helped rescue a raccoon stuck in a sewer grate with its head sticking out in Wilmington, North Carolina.

in gainesville According to the study, raccoons were found more often than any other species. The camera captured about 1,800 images of the raccoon, but the raccoon had the final say. Some of the cameras were attached to the underside of manhole covers, and the last footage captured was of a raccoon tearing the cameras apart.

rat

Of course, there are rats in America’s sewers. Show me an old urban sewer network that doesn’t. Underground pipes aren’t the ideal home for everyone, but for rats, sewers provide warmth, water, food, and relative safety from predators.

Last year, there was also talk of “”.Ratmageddon”. Rats are infesting our cities, with record numbers claimed in Washington, San Francisco, and New York. Scientists link population growth to climate change, as warmer cities become more attractive homes for rats.

The exact number of sewer rats in the United States is unknown, but New York alone is thought to have around 3 million. This is a problem because rats can spread disease. Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease) is transmitted through urine, and hantavirus can be spread by inhaling infected feces. It’s not without reason that the US spends approx.18 billion annually We are dealing with them.

snake

in September 2017Workers at the Worcester, Mass., Sewerage Department were conducting a routine inspection of a storm drain when they lifted a manhole cover and discovered a 5-foot-long python curled up underneath.

With the help of experts, the snake was quickly transferred to a local rescue center, but the incident left people wondering how it got there in the first place. Unlike Florida’s sewer alligators and North Carolina’s raccoons, pythons are an invasive species. This non-venomous snake is native to Africa, Asia, and Australia, but is kept as a pet.

Therefore, the most likely explanation is that the pet snake went wild. Elsewhere, there are reports of native snakes slipping through storm drains and into sewers. Last year, for example, wildlife enthusiasts rescued a northern water snake from near drowning in a New Jersey storm drain.

manatee

manatee Or “sea cow” is a large marine mammal that eats seaweed. they can’t live You’re in the sewers, and you can get stuck in there.

In February 2026, workers in Melbourne Beach, Florida discovered 185. A kilogram manatee trapped in a storm drain. To be precise, this gentle giant was trapped inside a baffle box. A baffle box is a large room built into a sewage system designed to separate debris, sediment, and other unwanted items. It played its role well. The manatee appeared to have swam into the building through a storm drain and was firmly trapped.

Eventually, multiple fire and rescue teams, Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel, experts from the University of Florida, and mechanics from a local towing company were able to sling the manatee and transport it to SeaWorld Orlando. The manatee is currently recovering.

myotis bat

Bats are fluttery mammals known for flying around. On top of that It can also be found on the ground and in some sewers.

There are more than 100 species of myotis or mouse-eared bats. These are small insectivores that tend to roost in caves and trees. But in Gainesville, Florida, researchers installed dozens of cameras inside the sewer system. southeastern myotis bat I was seen hanging out.

This was not unusual. Hundreds of bats were caught on camera. Many were roosting, but some were seen swooping down to the sewer floor to catch insects. This suggests that bats are not just sleeping in the sewers, but are actively foraging there as well.

In Poland, the Myotis bat is known to use storm sewers as a birthing site, so bats may be exploiting sewers much more often than thought. We just didn’t realize it until now.

carolina wren

Some birds frequent sewers. Think about it. It makes perfect sense. Sewage may be just waste to us, but it’s a magnet for flies, cockroaches, and other invertebrates that can digest the organic matter. And what eats insects? Of course birds too!

Above ground, many birds visit outdoor treatment pools at sewage treatment plants where waste is treated. For example, the orange-crowned black-throated warbler and the black-throated black-throated warbler. Saw Near the sludge digester at the Spring Creek Polluting Plant in Brooklyn.

However, some birds burrow underground. The Carolina wren is a lively little flutter that is widespread throughout the eastern United States. In the Gainesville study (yes, it’s the same again), Carolina wrens were observed at six locations, sometimes with nesting material in their beaks. This suggests that the birds may be collecting building materials from the sewers or building nests there. We need more cameras in more sewers to figure this out.

nine giant armadillo

Here are some interesting facts about the Nine Giant Armadillo. One is a literal jump scare, where you jump up to 1 meter in the air when you get scared. Second, females give birth to genetically identical quadruplets. This is a strange reproductive strategy, and it seems to be working well for them. Third, we don’t always have nine bands. Anywhere between 7 and 11 is fine. And fourth, as you might have guessed, they can also live in sewers.

Nine giant armadillos live in North, Central, and South America and lead a solitary, nocturnal life, feeding on insects and other invertebrates. In the Gainesville survey, which I have to say is the best picture we have of America’s sewer wildlife, armored mammals were seen roaming around drainage tunnels.

eastern spadefoot

Amphibians love small areas of land. And they love a little water. Therefore, it is perhaps not surprising that they are found in American sewers, where both types of habitat are present. Native species such as the southern toad and pig frog have been recorded, as well as some introduced species such as the Cuban tree frog.

Eastern spadefoot toads are endemic to the eastern United States and are said to prefer areas with loose, sandy soil suitable for burrowing. So imagine the surprise of researchers who discovered a big-eyed beauty in…drum roll…the sewers of Gainesville.

However, it is believed that the toads photographed did not breed in the sewers, but instead fell into storm drains. So we salute the scientists behind the Gainesville study for telling us more about the diversity of America’s wastewater wildlife than anyone before us.