No sharks…but a crocodile, snake and piranha: animals found in Seine

The Seine river in Paris has been under scrutiny ahead of the Olympics over its pollution levels - but we take a look at some of the exotic animals that have been found there in recent years, including a crocodile, a royal python, piranha - and even a whale.

This is in addition to the usual residents; rats and shrews, and the regular visitors, pigeons, which like to survey the waterway in search of food.

Normally, the river is fairly anodyne in terms of animals, with few threats. 

Read also: ‘Swimming in the Seine will be fitting legacy for Paris Olympics’
Read also: Paris Mayor: 'Swimming' Seine to cost €1bn 

But in recent years, some more dangerous and exotic creatures have accidentally made their way into the water, having either wandered in from their natural habitat or been deposited there by unscrupulous owners.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo pledged the Seine will be clean and safe enough for the athletes to use during the Games, and even ‘proved’ this by swimming in the river herself today (July 17).

She was probably hoping she would not encounter any of the following during her dip: 

A Nile crocodile (1984)

Forty years ago, employees of the Paris sewerage department spotted a small crocodile in the underground tunnels beneath the rue du Pont-Neuf. 

At the time, the animal was 80 cm long and two years old, and was able to be captured by emergency services. They took it to the menagerie at the Jardin des Plantes, before transferring it to the aquarium in Vannes, then to the crocodile farm in Pierrelatte.

The crocodile was later named Eleanor. She grew to be 2.5 metres long, and lived to the grand old age of 38, before passing away in May 2021.

A seal (2006 and 2012)

Seals have become a relatively common sight in the Seine since the 1980s. They typically stay for around one or two months before leaving, even though the Paris climate is usually far from their preferred habitat. 

In 2006, a seal was spotted between Rouen and Mantes-la-Jolie, and in August 2022, a seal calf was seen.

An alligator turtle (2009)

A walker near the Bir-Hakeim bridge first spotted this animal, spying its jagged, algae-covered shell under the bridge. Authorities took it to safety, and again suspected that it had been a pet that had been abandoned.

Originally, alligator turtles come from the southeastern United States, and are rare. In France, owners must have a certificate of competence before they can keep the animal. And they can be vicious; in 2013, an eight-year-old child in Germany had their Achilles tendon severed in an alligator turtle attack.

Royal python (2012)

Emergency services fished a snake out of the river in 2021, after eagle-eyed onlookers spotted it. It weighed almost 40 kg and was three metres long. 

The Préfecture de Police said they believed it had been a pet that had been abandoned when it became a problem to keep in an “inappropriate” urban environment.

A piranha (2012)

This famously-toothy fish is usually found in Latin America, but in 2012 an angler on the Seine was astonished to find a piranha on his hook.

Authorities identified it as a ‘pacu’ - a vegetarian piranha that lives in freshwater. They believed that this fish had been a pet that the owner abandoned once it became too large and overwhelming to manage.

A beluga (2022)

This was a sadder case that hit headlines. An old and ill beluga was spotted in the river by residents. 

Whale experts suggested that it had become confused at the mouth of Le Havre, where noise pollution is intense. This could have interfered with the whale’s sonar navigation.

More than 80 rescuers, including 24 divers, worked to save it at Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne (Eure), but their efforts proved in vain.

Read also: Beluga whale in Seine dies during rescue operation 
Read also: Seine beluga update: Plus, why are sea creatures entering the river? 

An orca (2022)

Another sad case. In May 2022, a young orca was found dead in the Seine, having travelled upstream for several days. 

It was later discovered that the animal had been shot in the skull, but this was not found to be the cause of death which was starvation and malnutrition.

Read also: €10,000 reward for help in finding person who shot Seine orca 
Read also: Skeleton of orca that died in the Seine to enter Paris museum 

The whale’s skeleton was later recovered by the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, which has added it to its collections.