Animals of the River Seine: Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Mammals

The Seine, flowing through Paris and Normandy, supports a surprisingly rich biota thanks to decades of water-quality improvement.

Fish (30+ species)

• Native: European perch, roach, dace, chub, bleak, pike, eel (critically endangered), brown trout (upper reaches), lamprey.
• Reintroduced/Recovering: Atlantic salmon (occasional), sea trout, shad.
• Non-native: Carp, catfish (wels, channel), zander, pumpkinseed, black bullhead.

Amphibians

• Common frog, edible frog, agile frog, marsh frog.
• Newts: smooth, palmate, great crested (protected).
• Fire salamander (forested tributaries).

Reptiles

• Grass snake, dice snake (aquatic), European pond turtle (reintroduced).
• Lizards: viviparous, sand, western green (banks).

Mammals

• Eurasian otter – Recolonizing; indicator of health.
• European beaver – Reintroduced; engineering wetlands.
• Coypu (nutria) – Invasive; burrows weaken banks.
• Water vole, water shrew, mink (invasive).
• Bats (Daubenton's) foraging over water.

Birds (Notable)

• Grey heron, great cormorant, kingfisher, common sandpiper, gulls, ducks.

From parisian bridges to Norman estuaries, the Seine is a living corridor—cleaner now than at any point in the last century.