Shocking: 'Cocaine Sharks' found in Brazilian waters

In a shocking discovery, scientists have confirmed that the sharks off the coast of Brazil near Rio de Janeiro have tested positive for having high levels of cocaine in themselves.

According to recent data, marine biologists have tested 13 Brazilian sharp-nose sharks whose samples they took from close to the shore, and all of them have been found with high levels of cocaine in their livers and muscles.

The scientists reported that the concentrations found in them were as much as 100 times higher than earlier reported for other aquatic creatures.

This first of its kind research was carried out by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation who are first to find the presence of cocaine in sharks.

According to a new theory, it is believed that cocaine is making its way into the waters through illegal labs where the drug is being manufactured or via the excrement of drug users.

Researchers said that, though less likely, packs of cocaine lost or dumped by traffickers could also be another source.

The scientists also said that Discovery Channel will soon be featuring a documentary that will show that these hungry sharks could be feasting on bales of hallucinatory drugs dumped along the Florida coast.

A marine eco-toxicologist at the Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre of Leiria's Polytechnic University, Sara Novals, said that the recent findings are very important and potentially worrying. She reported that all female sharks in the study were pregnant, but the results of cocaine exposure for the fetuses remain unknown as of now. 

It is also being said that further research is needed to determine whether cocaine is actually changing the behavior of sharks, i.e., making them more aggressive or not. 

However, previous research has shown that drugs are likely to have similar effects on animals as they do on humans, so it is a matter of concern as the sharks could become more aggressive and hungry, turning out to be harmful to other marine animals.