‘Sharkface’: Sharks Test Positive For Cocaine In Brazil, Scientists Researching If They Can Become Addicted
By Lucía Tedesco via El Planteo
Researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Brazil have discovered cocaine in sharks of the species Rhizoprionodon lalandii, commonly known as the Brazilian sharpnose shark.
The findings, published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, revealed that 13 sharks examined between September 2021 and August 2023 in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, a coastal area west of Rio de Janeiro, were intoxicated with the drug.
This is the first time the research team detected cocaine in sharks, said Enrico Mendes, a pharmacist and one of the lead researchers of the study, according to Página12. While traces of cocaine had previously been found in water and other marine organisms like mussels, it had never been identified in sharks before. The analysis …