🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Persistent organic pollutants can remain in marine ecosystems for decades after their release.
Studies analyzing tissue samples from basking sharks have identified persistent organic pollutants and other xenobiotic compounds within their bodies. These substances accumulate through long-term exposure in marine food webs.
💥 Impact (click to read)
For a fish that filters microscopic plankton rather than preying on large animals, the presence of industrial chemicals reveals how deeply human pollutants penetrate ocean systems. Contaminants dispersed across entire basins ultimately concentrate inside multi-ton vertebrates.
The detection of pollutants in such wide-ranging giants underscores the planetary scale of marine contamination. When animals capable of crossing oceans carry chemical signatures of human industry, the boundary between remote wilderness and civilization effectively disappears.
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