‘Cocaine sharks’ pulled from waters off Brazil

First there was " Cocaine Bear.” Then there was even " Cocaine Werewolf.”

Now fleshing out this trifecta of speed-infused animals (and cryptids ) is "cocaine shark."

BBC reports how 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks taken near the shores near Rio de Janeiro were tested by marine biologists, who confirmed that the concentrations of the illicit substance found in their muscles and livers were more than 100 times higher than similar tests that were conducted previously on other aquatic creatures. This is the first time the drug has been found in the species' system, the report explains.

Sky News continues to report how experts from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation — the scientific institution that first started this research — explained how this cocaine may have found its way into the sharks system in the form of waste from illegal labs where the drug is being manufactured.

The cocaine may also have been either lost or dumped at sea by traffickers, adds the researchers according to BBC, although this may not be as likely.

"We don't usually see many bales of coke dumped or lost at sea here, unlike in Mexico and Florida," tells Dr. Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis, British scientist and member of the team, to The Telegraph.

Dr. Tracy Fanara, expert in ecotoxicoloy and environmental engineering at the University of Florida, further explains to The Telegraph how the cocaine could be detrimental to the sharks’ health by affecting their eyesight, thus affecting their ability to hunt food.

“You might see lower fecundity and growth rates,” says she.

Dr. Hauser-Davis confirmed that more research on the subject is needed.