EXPERTS have suspected that sharks off the coast of Florida are coming into contact with large amounts of cocaine that’s getting dumped into the ocean.
Hauls of cocaine are said to be dropped in the ocean either to let smugglers collect them or as an attempt for criminals to escape law enforcement.
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Large batches of the drug have been known to wash up on Florida beaches.
Marine biologist Tom Hird, who’s better known by his YouTube nickname The Blowfish, wanted to see whether sharks off the coast of Florida were consuming the substance, according to Live Science,
He made a documentary for Discovery’s Shark Week called Cocaine Sharks.
University of Florida environmental scientist Tracy Fanara also took part in the study.
They went to the Florida Keys to investigate reports that sharks consume drugs there.
During a dive, they spotted a hammerhead shark and a sandbar shark that appear to be behaving in an odd manner.
The experts also conducted an experiment in which they dropped packages that looked like bales of cocaine in the area.
They observed sharks swimming straight to the packages and biting into them.
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A ball of concentrated fish powder is also given to the sharks as a way to ethically observe how the sharks might react to cocaine.
Hird reportedly said in the documentary: “We gave them what I think is the next best thing. [It] set [their] brains aflame. It was crazy.”
It’s important to note that scientists don’t know for sure whether the sharks are consuming cocaine.
They also don’t know what the true effects of the substance on the creatures would be.
It’s hoped more research will be conducted in this area.
Cocaine Sharks premieres on the Discovery Channel at 10pm Eastern and Pacific on July 26.
