Nurse Shark

The Nurse Shark is a beautiful member of the shark family. It has a stout body, obvious barbels, and strong jaws. Behind each eye, it has a spiracle (a special organ that takes in water for breathing when the shark is at rest on the ocean bottom). Nurse sharks are nocturnal hunters and spend most of the day in large, inactive groups of up to 40 individuals. They are often found in the reefs and the ocean bottom during the day in tropical and subtropical waters. By night, the sharks are largely solitary and spend most of the night hunting crustaceans, molluscs, tunicates, and other fish (particularly stingrays).

Nurse sharks can grow up to 13 feet (4.3 meters). Nurse sharks are ovoviviparous (meaning the eggs develop and hatch within the body of the female where the hatchlings develop further until live birth occurs). The gestation period is six months, with a typical littler of 21 to 28 pups. The young nurse sharks are born fully developed at about 30 cm long. They possess a spotted coloration which fades with age.

The nurse shark is not widely commercially fished, but because of its sluggish behavior, it is an easy target for local fisheries. Its skin is exceptionally tough and is prized for its leather. Its flesh is consumed fresh and salted, and its liver is utilized for oil. It has been reported in some unprovoked attacks on humans, but it is not generally perceived as a threat.