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Scientists found alarmingly high levels of cocaine in Brazilian sharpnose sharks off the coast near Rio de Janeiro.
Experts believe that water released from illegal cocaine labs or the excrement of drug users could be responsible, the BBC reported.
A marine ecotoxicologist told Science that the findings are “very important and potentially worrying,” as research has found that the drugs have similar effects on animals as they do on humans.
This is the first time cocaine has been found in sharks, and experts said that additional research is needed to determine how this would affect their behavior and fetuses.
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It has been difficult to measure how drugs affect specific species. Previous studies have found hyperactivity in European eels and impaired skeletal muscle development in fish larvae when exposed to cocaine.
Earlier this year, a marine biologist in England who studied the impact of drugs carried by raw sewage water on marine life, said that cocaine and MDMA could alter a fish’s decision to take fight or flight from danger.
As apex predators, it is also common for sharks to accumulate a higher level of environmental toxins from their prey.