Nurse shark

Nurse shark
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Max. size: 4 metres

 

Geographical distribution:
Tropical and sub-tropical regions of the east and west Atlantic and the eastern Pacific

 

Biology:
Characterised by its spiral eyes, its flat head is adorned with downward-pointing barbels whose function is to sound the sea floor at night in search of the crustaceans and other molluscs that it likes to eat.  It is easily identified by its well-developed caudal fin and can be found resting in caves or under an overhang.
Although a placid predator, it has a large number of short teeth and can inflict serious wounds on any over-curious diver.

This shark reproduces using a system known as ovoviviparity: the eggs are incubated and hatch in the female’s stomach, and there is no feeding relationship with the mother.  The nurse shark can have a clutch of up to 28 young, which is probably the reason behind its name.

 

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