River Thames: Human bones, Roman brothel token and a 30,000-year-old animal skull found

Deep Dive: the surprising, intriguing, and downright wacky things found in the River Thames

• Data finds that whales are the most common animal residing in the Thames, besides fish
• Bones, swords, and animal teeth are among items spotted in the river
• Food wrappers are the top lightweight item found, making up 20% of all litter in the Thames

The River Thames is one of London’s oldest and most popular attractions, not only bringing in millions of overseas visitors each year but piquing local interest too.

As well as being a tourist hotspot, it is England’s longest river and the second-longest river in the United Kingdom. 

This got us thinking, how much of the Thames is undiscovered?

The team at Barratt London have taken a deep dive into the waters to reveal what tropical marine life resides in the river, the wackiest items that have been found as well as which items could be recycled.

What are the weirdest and wackiest items that have ever been found?

The study took a deep dive into the 30-million-year-old river to discover the strangest items which have been fished out of the river.

We’re starting strong in 1995 with a giant Michael Jackson statue that was found floating down the river, which the singer used to promote his album ‘HIStory’.

There have also been reports of a Roman brothel token being fished from the waters around Putney Bridge, as well as a skull segment from a 30,000-year-old woolly rhino and a plastic crocodile, which initially terrified onlookers who thought the toy was real.

Strangest items ever found in the Thames:

Item	Year Sighted
5,000-year-old human bone	2022
16th Century Sword	2021
Plastic Crocodile	2017
Iron Ball and Chain	2009
Giant Michael Jackson Statue	1995
28-metre-long megalodon shark tooth	Year Unknown
Roman Brothel Token	Year Unknown
Skull segment from a 30,000-year-old woolly Rhino	Year Unknown

What sea life can be spotted in the Thames?

The Thames is a perfect place to spot marine life, with the river being home to everything from whales, dolphins, seals, crabs, and eels.

The study found that the most common sea creature that resides in the river besides fish are whales. These wonderful marine mammals have been sighted in the river as early as 2006 and sightings date all the way up to this year. Various types of whales have been found living in the river including the humpback, bottlenose, beluga and minke species.

Along with whales, some other animals that have been found in the capital’s waterway are dolphins, a harbour porpoise, several sharks, seahorses and eels.

Animals found residing in the Thames:

Animal	Species Spotted	First Spotted
Whale	Humpback, Bottlenose, Beluga and Minke	2006
Dolphins		2018
Harbour Porpoise		2019
Shark	Starry Smooth-Hound, Tope and Spurdog	2021
Seal	Grey and Harbour	2013
Eel		2013
Mitten Crab		2019
Seahorse	Short-Snouted	2013
Loch Ness Monster		2021
Redshank		2021

What waste items are found most in the Thames?

Finally, the study explored the waste items found in the Thames that shouldn’t have ended up there as well as the top lightweight items that have been fished from the river.

The research also delved into which areas are wet wipe, plastic bag and general waste hotspots.

Wet wipes are reported to be the most littered item in the river and when mixed with mud they form slimy layers. One of these mounds was 1.4 meters which covered 1000m2, which is the equivalent to four tennis courts. After hearing that, we certainly won’t be taking a dip in the Thames anytime soon.

Hammersmith Bridge Southside landed the top spot for wet wipes with Newcastle Draw Dock coming out on top for plastic bags whilst Small Profits Dock takes the top spot for floating waste.

Wet wipe, plastic bag and floating waste hotspots:

Rank	Wet Wipe Hotspots	Plastic Bag Hotspots	Floating Waste Hotspots
1	Hammersmith Bridge Southside	Newcastle Draw Dock	Small Profits Dock
2	Fulham Football Club	02 Flats in Greenwich	Queen Caroline Draw Dock
3	Battersea Bridge	Galleons Point	Crabtree Wharf

Now onto lightweight items. The study found that food wrappers are the top lightweight item, with them making up a fifth (20%) of all lightweight items floating on the foreshore of the Thames between 2015-2018.

Top lightweight items found in the Thames:

Top Lightweight items found	% of the total litter found
Food Wrappers	20%
Cotton Bud Sticks	16%
Cups	9%
Bottle Lids	8%
Take-away Containers	8%
Drinks Bottles	3%
Building Insulation (polystyrene / foam)	2%
Straws	2%
Cigarette Butts	2%
Lollipop Sticks	1%

Ed McCoy, Sales and Marketing Director at Barratt West London, said: “Discovering that a number of whales have chosen to make Londoners their neighbours has been quite a pleasant and unexpected surprise. Their under the radar presence makes them the perfect quiet and considerate neighbours. It’s a privilege to share our city with them.

“The study also brought to light the items that should not be calling the Thames home, that could have very easily been recycled instead. We hope this new knowledge of our underwater neighbours will make a lot of people think twice about dumping rubbish into the Thames.”

Who knew there were so many hidden treasures in the Thames?