The nurse shark does a suckling noise when feeding thus its name.
The nurse shark can weigh from 75 to 105 kg (165 to 230 lbs) and can live up to 25 years. It’s average length is between 2,2 to 2,7 meters (5,5 to 9,0 feet). Some individuals can be up to 4,3 meters (14 feet) long! The body’s elongated shape is hydrodynamic. The long and streamline tail enables it to make wide moves. It can go forward fast with only one single tail move. The small mouth is placed under the body of this bottom feeder. The mouth and sharp teeth enable it to suck up food and crush fish, molluscs and crustaceans from the marine floor. The skin colour varies from beige to brown, with or without dark blotches.
The majority of sharks have excellent nocturnal and crepuscular vision. With the smell of extreme finesse combined with the chemical receptors and tactile barbs which hold the taste buds, a nurse shark can find a prey that is hiding in the sand! The shark inhabits the marine coastal floors, along sandy beaches and coral reefs. We find it in the Atlantic and in eastern Pacific and in warm waters all over the world. When resting it can be found in groups ranging from 3 to 30 individuals. The nurse shark is nocturnal, sedentary and lethargic. This species is ovoviparous, which means that the female’s eggs will develop inside her body. These will hatch after 5 to 6 months incubation. The average brood is 32 young. There are no species that regularly prey on adult nurse sharks. However some larger sharks are known to feed occasionally on them. Remains of nurse sharks have been found in lemon and tiger shark stomachs, and attacks on nurse sharks by bull sharks and great hammerhead sharks have been observed. In captivity, a nurse shark can live up to 25 years. It is not aggressive, it is one of the docile sharks. Divers love to swim with this species and feed it and this recreational activity has become popular with the tourists. This species is abundant and has no particular status.
Nurse Shark Ginglymostoma cirratum
