We’ve seen Sharknado and we’ve seen the Cocaine Bear, but now it looks like we may be gearing up for an insane sequel: cocaine sharks. According to scientists, sharks off the coast of Florida may be feasting on bales of drugs dumped into the ocean. The plan is to experiment with the idea and see if it is indeed true.
The experiment and subsequent investigation are all part of a new television series called Cocaine Sharks, which will premiere on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week near the end of July. The scientists want to see just how likely it is that sharks might be feeding on cocaine bales dumped off the coast. So far, the results look like they could be nursing a hidden cocaine addiction.
That’s because the researchers used fake cocaine packages and set them up next to fake swans. However, instead of going for the swans, the sharks tended to go for the fake cocaine bales, which could point towards them knowing that the bales hold something else. Of course, the bigger story here is how these chemicals are entering our oceans, and how they can affect the ecosystems of our oceans.
The researchers also tested dropping the bales from the sky, similar to a real-life drug drop. They found that when this happened, multiple sharks would move in to attack the bales. It’s an intriguing discovery and one that begs scientists to dig even deeper, which they will do in the television series, which kicks off on Wednesday, July 26, according to Live Science.
The researchers are also hopeful that they’ll be able to learn more about the way that these drugs might affect sharks and other marine life. If they can push more research in the area and carry out more tests, they can hopefully figure out whether the sharks are ingesting cocaine and what the effects might be on their brains, especially considering what cocaine does to the brain.
