Sharks are "accused" of using cocaine off the coast of Florida!

Sharks are "accused" of

using cocaine off the coast of Florida!

US researchers have found that sharks off the coast of

Florida may consume cocaine dropped by drug traffickers in the ocean.

The U.S. :

• Coast Guard claimed it had seized up to 6,400 kilograms of

• cocaine in the Caribbean Sea

• and Atlantic Ocean over the past month alone.

Researchers working on :

Discovery Channel's upcoming television series Cocaine Sharks told Life Science on Thursday that they had discovered that some sharks were acting strangely

in the area and had conducted a number of shark experiments off Florida keys

where fishermen reportedly encountered drug-consuming fish.

Marine biologist Tom Hurd and University of :

• Florida ecologist Tracy Vanara claim to

• have seen during one of the great hammerhead dives

• a species that regularly avoids humans

• follow the team directly during a perverse swim.

Another sand shark was observed constantly swimming in

narrow circles while apparently focusing on something that did not already exist.

Scientists also conducted a test :

where they put in water a mock swan next to a package of size and appearance themselves for the real cocaine package that drug smugglers had dropped into the ocean.

To the researcher's surprise

sharks did not attack swans and instead went straight to "cocaine".

The team also dropped fake cocaine from an aircraft to simulate real drugs, and found that multiple shark species immediately moved into the packages.

However :

biologists have admitted that their research has yet to prove that sharks already consume cocaine, noting that "we have no idea what (cocaine) can do to a shark."

But Hurd hoped that the broadcast of the documentary series would lead to further research on the issue, as well as on how other drugs affected marine life.

That's right. In 2017 :

a study published in the journal Toxicology

and Applied Pharmacology found that sharks off

the coast of Florida had cocaine in their blood. The researchers believe that the sharks may have been exposed to cocaine by eating fish that had ingested the drug.

Cocaine is a stimulant that :

can be harmful to humans if it is ingested or absorbed through the skin.

However :

it is not clear what effects

if any :

cocaine has on sharks. The researchers who conducted the study say that more research is needed to understand the potential risks of cocaine exposure to sharks.

The study's findings have sparked a debate about :

the impact of human activities on marine life.

Some experts argue that the discovery of cocaine in sharks is a sign that

we need to do more to reduce pollution in our oceans.

Others say that :

• the study's findings are not cause for alarm

• and that sharks are likely to be able to

• metabolize cocaine without any harmful effects.

Only time will tell what the long-term impact of :

cocaine exposure is on sharks.

However :

the study's findings have certainly raised some important questions

about the potential risks of human activities to marine life.