Sharks Seem to Have Consumed Cocaine Off Brazil Coast! Their Behaviour Altered

Sharks off the coast of Brazil seem to have consumed cocaine and according to the researchers it may be altering their behaviour. Marine biologists studied 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks from waters near Rio de Janeiro and found high levels of cocaine in their muscles and livers.

It is suspected that the sharks got cocaine likely from the drainage of illegal labs that produce drugs. It is also believed that the sharks ate bundles of cocaine that were lost or dumped in the sea by drug smugglers.

The test results showed “chronic exposure” to cocaine in the sharks.

As cocaine targets the brain, sharks exposed to it are expected to show hyperactive and erratic behavior. The concentrations of cocaine in the sharks that were tested was 100 times higher than previously found in other marine animals.

This marks the first evidence of cocaine being identified in free-ranging sharks.