Well, it might come as a shock, but drains and sewers are indeed the habitats of several animals.
If you consider that animals can survive only in lush green forests or savannahs, you are mistaken. Animals can survive in swamps, sewers, and drains.
It is probably this ability of particular creatures to survive in extreme conditions that animals like cockroaches would survive even a nuclear holocaust.
This got me thinking, and I decided to list the creatures found in drains. Here are some of the animals that live in drains:
Animals that live in drains:
- Rats
- Cockroaches
- Possums
- Frogs
- Snakes
- Newts
- Fishes
- Raccoons
- Foxes
List of animals that live in sewers:
1. Rats
Rats are one of the most common creatures that you will find living in drains and sewers. They are known to inhabit drains that are both in use and abandoned.
Rat infestation of drains can prove quite dangerous because these creatures can enter your home through the drains.
Rats have also been known to chew through the smaller sections of pipes and can destroy the valves in the pipes.
They cannot chew through iron pipes, but if a section of the pipe is made of plastic or other materials that cannot withstand the sharp teeth of rats, you can have leakages in the piping system.
In most cases, rats can easily chew through the flaps in pipes that allow water or sewerage to flow out.
This can harm your drain pipes, which is why it is essential to stop a rat infestation in drain pipes at the onset.
When rats are not making their way through the drain pipes, they can be found burrowing holes under houses.
2. Cockroaches
Cockroaches are a few creatures that can live in the most adverse conditions.
This way, you will find hundreds and thousands of cockroaches living in drain pipes and even sewerage systems.
Homeowners often mention that cockroaches enter their homes through the pipes in their houses.
The cockroaches reside in the drains, and they make their way into your home through the pipes that connect your home’s pipeline to the central drainage system.
If you want to control the pests and prevent cockroaches from entering your home, you could try pouring bleach into the drains.
Cockroaches will enter your home in search of food and they are usually spotted crawling on the walls or countertops.
Thus, the best way to control cockroaches from entering your home is to prevent them from living in the drains and making the environment non-conducive for their survival.
3. Possums
Possums resemble rodents, but in reality, they are marsupials.
If your home is near a pond or it is not far from a ditch, then there are chances that you will find possums on your property.
These creatures can live in any moist environment, a drain, ditch, or sewer and you will mostly find opossums entering into your garden in search of food such as lawn grubs.
Possums are not attractive to look at, and they can prove to be quite a pest, especially if you are an amateur gardener.
Since possums are scavengers, they are known as one of the animals that eat garbage and can prove to be dangerous to your garden as well.
Check the drains, if you find possums entering your garden but don’t have a pond in the neighborhood, chances are, you will find a possum family living in the drains.
4. Frogs
If you have suddenly observed frogs in your bathroom, then the chances are that these creatures are living in the drains in the neighborhood.
Frogs are amphibians that love moist environments.
Undoubtedly they love to live in ponds, marshlands, and other similar areas. But you can find frogs living in drains.
Drains and plumbing pipes are humid regions, and frogs are attracted to these areas.
But unlike cockroaches or rats, it is rare to find frog infestation in the drain pipes.
Usually, frogs get sucked into the drain pipes, and as a result, they can crawl up the pipes and enter the bathroom.
Frogs prefer a more open environment, however, they end up in a drainpipe or a sewerage system when they get lost.
5. Snakes
It does sound scary, but it is not unusual to have snakes crawling up the pipes in your bathroom.
When I heard such a story from a friend, I understood that snakes also live in drains and sewerage systems.
They can swim up the pipes and then crawl up through the toilet.
This usually happens in summer when snakes look for places to stay cool.
Pipes and drainage systems are wet, damp, and cooler, making snakes attracted to them.
If you have a snake infestation in your garden, these creatures can even crawl into your house through the windows and make way into the pipes through the toilet.
If you want to protect your home from snake infestation, you can set up meshes in your home to prevent snakes from crawling in through the windows.
6. Newts
Newts like frogs are amphibians, and they love to live in cold and damp areas. Hence, pipes and plumbing areas are a favorite of newts.
If you have ever found a newt in your bathroom, you can be assured that they have crawled up the pipes in your bathroom.
Since newts are amphibians, their skin needs to stay moist to absorb moisture which means that drains and sewerage pipes provide such an environment.
They can easily live here, and as drain pipes are breeding grounds for different types of insects, you will find that newts do not lack food.
But if you have newts crawling up into your toilet, you must hire pest control experts who can manage this problem.
7. Fishes
It is impossible to think that drainage canals can be home to fishes, but it is true!
In the city of Simbhara, on the island of Kyushu, Japan, you will find colorful Koi fish swimming in the drainage channels of the city.
The water in the drainage channels is so clean that fishes easily survive in the water.
It is difficult to imagine that fishes can survive in drain water, mainly the Koi carp, which requires an environment free of impurities.
Here, the particular fish species can survive in an open environment and is considered to be drain water.
This means the water in the drains is pristine and clean. This is one of the most unusual things you can see if you visit this beautiful island in Japan.
8. Raccoons
Raccoons are opportunistic scavengers, which means they will look for food everywhere.
You will find that raccoons often run into drains, they do it when in search of food.
They do not build dens or homes in drains, which means they do not live in the absolute sense of the word.
They can live there sometimes when they find food, but they will not live or breed in drains.
Raccoons also escape into drains if they are chased and feel threatened.
These creatures are known to grab food and escape into places to eat without being chased or disturbed.
9. Foxes
Foxes are not aggressive creatures unless they are threatened.
But they often look for places to live and build their dens. One such place where foxes can build their homes is in abandoned drains.
It is also not uncommon to find a family of fox living in a storm drain.
Moreover, unless the weather becomes adverse, storm drains are usually dry, making it ideal for foxes to build their dens.
Foxes are pretty territorial when it comes to their dens or homes.
So if you find that a fox has made one of the open drains in your home its den, do not try to shoo it away.
If you want to have it removed from your property, seek professional help; otherwise, it can prove to be dangerous and difficult.