Sharks Swimming in Waters Near Brazil Test Positive for Cocaine, Study Finds

Cocaine Bear, meet Cocaine Shark.

Though scientists have previously theorized that cocaine may be impacting sharks, it has never been detected in the animals — until now.

Marine biologists tested a group of Brazilian sharpnose sharks swimming off the coast of Brazil. They found high levels of cocaine — and its primary metabolite, benzoylecgonine — in the creatures' muscles and livers, according to new, first-of-its-kind research published in the Science of the Total Environment.

All 13 sharks in the study, which was carried out near Rio de Janeiro, tested positive for cocaine, and all but one tested positive for benzoylecgonine.

Some of the female sharks were pregnant, but the study's researchers did not include insights into how the drug would impact the sharks' offspring.

The study, conducted by the Rio-based Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, claims it is the first to investigate cocaine and benzoylecgonine detection in free-range sharks.

The results, it states, "indicate that all sharks were exposed to cocaine in their natural habitats" — but the researchers did not pinpoint the sources of the exposure.

Experts say the drug could be entering waters through illegal labs or drug users’ excrement, according to the BBC. Traffickers losing or dumping cocaine may also be a source, though researchers have stated this is less likely.

Citing Brazil’s status a -

Kino’s ‘Ganymede’ Prem,...

s one of the main cocaine consumer markets in South America, the new study urges researchers to investigate further how the drug arrives in the city’s coastal waters, as well as how the contamination impacts marine life in the area.

The Brazilian sharpnose shark, in particular, is susceptible to cocaine contamination — and other forms of pollution — because they do not migrate away from their coastal habitat, the study says.

Though similar research has been conducted on other animals, the study also urges further analysis to determine how cocaine alters sharks' behavior.

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"Cocaine sharks" made headlines last summer after scientists theorized cocaine pollution may be causing Florida sharks to exhibit odd behaviors, The Guardian reported. And, as scientist Dr. Tracy Fanara told the outlet at the time, "It's a catchy headline to shed light on a real problem,"

The "problem" in question? "That everything we use, everything we manufacture, everything we put into our bodies, ends up in our wastewater streams and natural water bodies," Fanara said. 

"And these aquatic life we depend on to survive are then exposed to that."

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