Crocs and raccoons in Florida find odd new home
If you wanted to see a variety of wildlife, you'd probably head to the zoo, not the loo. But in Florida in the United States, crocodiles, raccoons, turtles and loads more animals were found making a cosy new home in a local sewer system.A study published in the journal Urban Naturalist in late 2024, found 35 species of animal were using the subterranean stormwater sewer systems (SSS) to get around.The scientists put cameras through the pipes that snapped a pic if an animal walked, slithered or flew past. And they were shocked at what they found.
As the name suggests, they're not quite the same as the sewers that flush our poo away, though - they are huge mazes of tunnels used to deal with large amounts of flood water during storms.The scientists say while some of the animals were down there by accident if they got caught in a flood, many were using the pipes to avoid busy roads on the surface.Alan Ivory, a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida who led the research, told The New York Times: ''It's like something out of 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... The abundance of animals down there was surprising.''One of the animals that used the sewers the most was the American species of alligator called Alligator mississippiensis.And turtles called Yellow-bellied sliders were using the pipes as highways between ponds they wanted to visit.
How did the scientists find this out?
In total, 39 cameras were placed in 33 storm water drains in Gainesville, a city in North Florida.The cameras were kept in place for 60 days, but not all of them survived - the sewers were still in use, so some got swept away with storm water and sometimes clever animals like raccoons would pinch them!Overall between February and May 2023, the team snapped 3800 images of 35 species of animals.
Racoons were the most spotted animal, with 1800 sightings.Next on the list were bats, with over 700 pictures taken of them flying through the tunnels.Some animals are using the sewers to avoid busy roads they can't cross, but others such as toads and snakes are falling in and being swept away with flood water.Mr Ivory and his team believe that while more studies need to be done, their research highlights a need for urban planning that has local wildlife's best interests at heart.
Did you know?
Florida is sometimes nicknamed the sunshine stateHowever it has the most hurricanes of any state in AmericaThere are an estimated 1.5 million alligators in Florida Yellow belly sliders can live up to 25 years old in the wildRaccoons are nocturnal, which means they're active at night and sleep in the day
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