An abundant, coastal, tropical and subtropical shark that lives in the coastal waters of the Gulf and Atlantic of Florida. Often seen lying motionless on the ground. Preferred habitats are coral reefs, rocks and mangrove islands. Nurse sharks are ground-dwelling inhabitants who move slowly and mostly harmless to humans. However, they can be huge – up to 14 feet – and have very strong jaws filled with thousands of small serrated teeth and bite defensively when hit or harassed by divers who think they are docile. ReproductionGives birth to live young. Litters contain 20 to 50 puppies. Height at birth about 1 foot. Mating accumulations have been reported in the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas, often in very shallow water. Juveniles use shallow coral reefs, rocky areas, grassy areas and mangrove islands as habitats for nurseries.
Mating occurs in aggregations during the summer and after a short gestation period of 6 months, females give birth to live young. Broods contain 20-50 puppies. Height at birth about 1 foot. Juveniles use shallow coral reefs, rocky areas, grassy areas and mangrove islands as habitats for nurseries. Similar species: Lemon shark, N. brevirostris (no barbels) Nurse sharks prefer to stay close to the seabed in the warm, shallow waters of the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific. Prized in the Caribbean for its high-quality skin, but is considered a pest species in most North American longline fisheries with low-value fins and meat. Works well in captivity and has been used in many physiological and immunological studies. This ground-dwelling sloth shark has only been implicated in a few bites on humans, most of which have been provoked.
They use their strong jaws to crush and eat shellfish and even corals, but prefer to eat fish, shrimp and octopus. They are grey-brown and have distinctive caudal fins that can reach a quarter of their total length. Unlike most other sharks, nurses feel smooth. The origin of the name “nurse shark” is unclear. This may stem from the sucking noise they make when chasing prey in the sand, which vaguely resembles that of a breastfed baby. Or it may be derived from an archaic word, nusse, which means catshark. However, the most likely theory is that the name comes from the old English word for seabed shark. Nurse sharks are found in warm, shallow waters of the western and eastern Pacific. They are abundant throughout their range and have no particular conservation status, although their proximity to human activities puts pressure on the species. The scientific name of the nurse shark sounds like something Bilbo Baggins could have said to call the elves to his rescue: Ginglymostoma cirratum. In fact, the name is a mixture of Greek and Latin and means “crimped and foldable mouth” to describe the somewhat crippled appearance of this shark.
Sign up to receive our FREE legal nursing newsletter. Maximum size about 9 feet. Matures to about 6 feet and is estimated to live 24+ years. With extensive experience in education and health care in a variety of clinical settings, we provide detailed case analysis with supporting research. We effectively educate others about medical cases. Checking medical records, sorting through the huge amount of information, and trying to figure it out can be chaotic. We have the knowledge, expertise and ability to structure this chaos and create a professional nursing opinion on causality, contributing factors and harms. Feeds mainly on bottom invertebrates such as crayfish, shrimp, crabs, sea urchins, octopus and marine molluscs; also feeds on certain species of fish, especially grunts. Looks like you`re new here.
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