• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
'Cocaine sharks' have been confirmed to be swimming off the coast of Brazil

Home> News> Animals

Published 18:35 23 Jul 2024 GMT+1

'Cocaine sharks' have been confirmed to be swimming off the coast of Brazil

An alarmingly high concentration of the drug was found in the shark's systems

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard Kaonga

You read that right... scientists have found that multiple sharks off the coast of Brazil have tested for high levels of cocaine in their system.

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation recently tested 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks taken from near the shores of Rio de Janeiro as part of ongoing research, and were disturbed with their discovery.

The concentrations of cocaine found in the unfortunate shark's muscles and livers were estimated to be as much as 100 times higher than previously reported for other aquatic creatures in the area.

Advert

Experts have begun rattling their brains for what is the cause of this increase. It might not have to be said... but sharpnose sharks do not naturally produce cocaine in their bodies.

A Brazilian sharpnose shark. (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)
A Brazilian sharpnose shark. (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation are the first to find presence of cocaine in sharks in this area.

So, how did the class A drug get into the shark's systems?

Advert

Well experts believe there are quite a few ways it could be finding its way into the unsuspecting animals.

One possibility is that it is entering the waters via illegal labs, where the drug is being manufactured. It is also possible that it is getting into the water through the excrement of drug users.

Some have suggested that packs of cocaine lost or dumped by traffickers could be the cause, but researchers have said this is less likely.

British scientist and member of the research team from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro Dr Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis told the Telegraph: “We don’t usually see many bales of coke dumped or lost at sea here, unlike in Mexico and Florida.

Advert

Researchers believe illegal labs producing cocaine may be responsible.(Getty Stock Image)
Researchers believe illegal labs producing cocaine may be responsible.(Getty Stock Image)

Interestingly, all the females that were recovered were found to be pregnant, but researchers are not completely sure of the consequences of cocaine on fetuses.

Sara Novais, a marine eco-toxicologist at the Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre of the Polytechnic University of Leiria, has said the finding are ‘potentially worrying’ but the discovery is also very important.

Dr Enrico Mendes Saggioro, an ecotoxicologist from the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, said it was important for scientists to continue studying the effects of cocaine on animals.

Advert

He said: "This may be the case, as cocaine targets the brain, and hyperactive and erratic behaviour has been noted in other animals. It’s a possibility and further studies are required."

Featured Image Credit: Getty/Nautilus Creative/Getty/mofles

Topics: Animals, Drugs, World News

Gerrard Kaonga
Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

14 mins ago
15 mins ago
16 mins ago
an hour ago
  • 14 mins ago

    Woman who spent a day on the dark web reveals the incredibly horrific things she saw on there

    It's said that millions of people access the dark web on a daily basis

    News
  • 15 mins ago

    New research reveals four US states where psychopaths are most likely to live

    Are you living in these states...?

    News
  • 16 mins ago

    Shocking simulation shows exactly what happens to your body if you stopped eating sugar for 15 days

    Ditching sugar as many health benefits, some of which may come as a surprise

    News
  • an hour ago

    Chilling simulation of Air India flight crash shows exactly how sole survivor escaped the wreckage

    Vishwash Kumar Ramesh is the sole survivor of the Air India crash, which killed 241 passengers and crew

    News
  • Owen Wilson hints at doing a sequel for one of his most beloved films that fans have been begging for
  • Scientists issue shocking update on real-life ‘Gates of Hell’ that have been burning for more than 50 years
  • ‘Harbinger of doom’ fish appeared on coast two days before earthquake
  • Scientists may have finally worked out whether the chicken or egg came first