You've heard of Sharknado. You've heard of Cocaine Bear. Now prepare for the worst of all worlds!
Cocaine Shark!
Yep, Brazilian sharks are out there snorting lines of coke. Or something like that.
The researchers rounded up a baker's dozen of sharp nosed sharks off the coast of Brazil and every single one of them tested positive for coke.
The species was chosen due to its small size and the fact that it lives in a small area of coastal waters, where it is exposed to significant contaminant discharges for its entire life cycle, according to the study.
Cocaine levels were around three times higher in muscle tissue than liver tissue, according to the study, while female sharks had higher cocaine concentrations in muscle tissue compared to males.
According to the researchers, the cocaine in the waters comes from sewage after people ... expel the cocaine they've ingested. It's a little like that cat poop coffee, but it's cocaine for sharks.
Previous studies have assumed that the cocaine found in marine life was due to shipments being dumped in the water and happened upon by sharks. However, with nearly a quarter of coke users living in South America, the newest studies suggest that this isn't exactly the pure stuff these sharks are absorbing.
Studies have not been conducted to determine whether cocaine damages the sharks' health, explained Mendes Saggioro and study co-author Rachel Ann Hauser Davis, a biologist at the foundation, but previous research has shown that the drug harms other animals such as fish and mussels.
'It is probable, although not yet proven that exposure would have deleterious physiological effects on the sharks,' they said in a joint statement.
I guess that all the coke addicts will probably stop now that they know the negative effects on the mental health of marine life!
This gives a whole new meaning to "the sea was angry that day."
The researchers are also worried about people eating the cocaine sharks.
It's a vicious cycle.
The circle of life!
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