Cocaine Found in Sharks Off Coast of Brazil

Is Cocaine Bear about to get an aquatic spinoff?

Sharks swimming in the waters of Brazil have tested positive for cocaine, which has people concerned for the wildlife in the area.

Research groups from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation revealed that 13 sharpnose sharks were taken off the coast of Rio de Janeiro and cut open. Their livers and muscles contained high traces of cocaine and benzoylecgonine, the main molecule in cocaine. Female sharks had a higher concentration of cocaine in their organs compared to their male counterparts.

This is reportedly the first time the drug has been found in free-range sharks, and the concentration number was 100 times higher than what was previously recorded amongst aquatic species. There's no official word on how these sharks ingested the high amounts of cocaine, but according to the BBC, there's speculation that illegal drug labs manufacturing cocaine could be a reason.

Others feel it could be the excrement of drug users that caused this, or smugglers who lost packages due to shipping product across treacherous seas. Researchers are investigating what cocaine can do to a shark's behavior.

According to TMZ, scientists say the sharks may have been a bit more forceful when searching for food, which could lead to trouble for the sea's ecosystem in the future. Last year, scientists believed cocaine pollution was the reason why sharks in Florida exhibited abnormal behavior.