During the day, nurse sharks rest in contact with one another. Nurse sharks can grow to lengths of up to 14 feet. Nurse Shark Length, Weight and Appearance - Nurse shark length may be up to 14 feet (4.3 meters). Nurse Shark Introduction. This slow-moving bottom dweller is known for its docile nature and adaptation to captivity. Colors and shapes of underwater world / Getty Images. There are numerous reports of nurse sharks occurring in unusual colors, including milky white and bright yellow. They can get quite large with a … It is not uncommon for the pups to cannibalize each other. The nurse shark is one of the most commonly observed sharks on coral and rocky reefs of the eastern Pacific Ocean and the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean. Nurse sharks are ovoviviparous, with fertilized eggs hatching inside the female. The Nurse is frequently found at depths of one meter or less, but it is not uncommon for Nurse Sharks to venture down to depths of 12 metres. Sharks give birth to live young or fertilized eggs. Nurse shark has tough meat that isn't widely eaten or often found in markets. Larger adults live in deeper water, taking refuge under rocky ledges or reef shelves during daytime. Grey Nurse Sharks are more active at night, when they feed upon fish, smaller sharks, rays, squid and crustaceans. [3] They are robust and able to tolerate capture, handling, and tagging extremely well. Juveniles are mostly found on the bottom of shallow coral reefs, seagrass flats, and around mangrove islands, whereas older individuals typically reside in and around deeper reefs and rocky areas, where they tend to seek shelter in crevices and under ledges during the day and leave their shelter at night to feed on the seabed in shallower areas. The species is ovoviviparous or live-bearing, so eggs develop in an egg case within the female until birth. Habitat of the Nurse Shark. Develop and improve products. Adult nurse sharks can sport a 2 – 3 ft. long tail, which can equate to a fourth of their total length! They also have long tails, which can make up about a quarter of their total length. If you do find nurse shark steaks or filets and want to try them -- they'll probably be quite affordable -- or if you catch and clean your own nurse shark, the meat may be prepared like more common types, such as mako and thresher sharks. There are many other sharks that only reach 2 to 3 feet that only need about 200 to 300 gallons, which is much more reasonable! [2], Nurse sharks are a typically inshore bottom-dwelling species. The nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) is an elasmobranch fish in the family Ginglymostomatidae. The babies have spotted skins. The shark's genus name Ginglymostoma means "hinged mouth" in Greek, while the species name cirratum means "curled ringlets" in Latin. Male sharks reach sexual maturity at 4 - 6 years of age, and females One of the better known species of shark, nurse sharks are usually the first species that comes to mind when people think of non-aggressive sharks. The IUCN List of Threatened Species has not addressed the conservation status of nurse sharks, due to insufficient data. Nurse sharks have 20 to 40 babies at once. Leopard Shark. A proper shark aquarium is often a large square or circular tank, as the shark will need the width and depth of the tank to be at least as long as the shark is in length. Nurse sharks have 20 to 40 babies at once. You might go so far as to call it lazy, the slacker of the sea. Females grow to be somewhat larger than males, and reach maturity at about seven feet long. Their favorite habitats are coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, rocky crevices, and ledges, and more. Nurse Shark Facts: Description, Habitat, and Behavior. It is a different species from the grey nurse shark (one of the names for the sand tiger shark, Carcharias taurus) and the tawny nurse shark (Nebrius ferrugineus, another type of carpet shark). She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. The nurse shark is ovoviviparous, which means that the female shark carries the fertilized eggs in egg cases within her ovaries. During the night, nurse sharks leave their group, venturing out for solo feeding forays. Create a personalised ads profile. A nurse shark’s mouth is filled with rows of small, serrated teeth for crushing hard-shelled prey. [10][11] Although their small mouths may limit the size of prey, they can exhibit a suck-and-spit behavior and/or shake their head violently to reduce the size of food items.[12]. Juveniles prefer shallow reefs, mangrove islands, and seagrass beds. The nurse shark has a wide but patchy geographical distribution along tropical and subtropical coastal waters of the Eastern Atlantic, Western Atlantic, and Eastern Pacific. They also have characteristically round heads, barbels that they use to search for prey, and very small eyes. Divers are usually safe around nurse sharks and other carpet sharks, but bites occur when the fish are disturbed or provoked. Nurse Shark Diet Because of their docile nature, nurse sharks are popular with divers and ecotourists. The bottom fin, the pectoral fin , helps the nurse shark to hover, and sometimes even to "walk" along the ocean floor. Instead, they are yellowish-brown. By day, the nocturnal nurse … Nurse sharks have extremely long caudal fins, or tails; the caudal fin makes up more than 25 percent of the shark's entire length [source: Guarracino]. Where nurse sharks and alligators are found together, the two species attack and eat each other. The largest nurse shark on record to date is 14 feet long, which is more than two times longer than the average man is tall. Nurse sharks live 25 years in captivity, although they may reach 35 years of age in the wild. A large adult may weigh about 90 kg (200 lb). The largest are about 14 feet (4.25 m) long and weigh up to 730 pounds (330 kg). The estimated age of maturity for the Nurse Shark is 18 years for males and 20 to 22 years for females. It has a flattened body and a broad, rounded head with two conspicuous barbels between the nostrils, which it uses to find food. Shark Image Gallery Wes Pratt, Mote Center for Shark Research. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Select personalised content. The Short Tail Nurse Shark is an oviparous (egg laying) species that produces eggs that take 165 days to hatch. Scientists believe this may be an example of social behavior. Angel Shark. Photographic evidence and historical accounts suggest that encounters between species are commonplace in their shared habitats.[15][16]. Full grown Nurse Sharks can weigh as much as 330 pounds and grow Carlson, J., Charvet, P., Blanco-Parra, MP, Briones Bell-lloch, A., Cardenosa, D., Derrick, D., Espinoza, E., Herman, K., Morales-Saldaña, J.M., Naranjo-Elizondo, B., Pérez Jiménez, J.C., Schneider, E.V.C., Simpson, N.J., Talwar, B.S., Pollom, R., Pacoureau, N. & Dulvy, N.K. Some nurse sharks feed on crab. In some cases, you will be offered nurse sharks because of their docile nature. The sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus), grey nurse shark, spotted ragged-tooth shark or blue-nurse sand tiger, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical and temperate waters worldwide. Within the group, they appear to snuggle and cuddle with each other. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Nurse Shark Facts: Description, Habitat, and Behavior." CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry)", https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T144141186A3095153.en, "A new underwater shark capture method used by divers to catch and release nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum)", "Comparative Anatomy, Phylogeny and Cladistic Classification of the Order Orectolobiformes (Chondrichthyes, Elasmobranchii)", "Alligators Attack and Eat Sharks, Study Confirms", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nurse_shark&oldid=1022966671, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 13 May 2021, at 14:56. Find out how nurse shark length changes if the shark is male or female. The baby nurse sharks are about 1 ft (30 cm) long during birth. These sharks can grow anywhere from 48" to 60" and can be kept with a variety of reef fish as long as they are adequately fed. Nurse Shark Anatomy: The sub-terminal mouth is placed well in front of the eyes. Instead, the nurse shark just deals with the cold by doing even less, if such a thing is possible [source: National Aquarium]. The young nurse sharks are born fully developed at about 30 cm long. Nurse sharks have a low metabolism and generally expend minimal energy. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T144141186A3095153. The nurse shark's mouth has a puckered appearance and opens much like a hinged box. The time to reach adulthood and mating can be as long as 15 to 20 years, at which time they are 7 to 7.5 feet in total length. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/nurse-shark-facts-4177149. The number one enemy of a baby is its stronger siblings. Nurse sharks are slow-moving bottom-dwellers and are, for the most part, harmless to humans. Generally, experts consider the species to be of least concern off the coasts of the United States and Bahamas. Nurse sharks typically are born during the winter. Do not buy a nurse shark unless you have a 15,000-gallon pool to keep it in. https://www.thoughtco.com/nurse-shark-facts-4177149 (accessed May 18, 2021). At birth, the nurse shark is only 10-11 inches (27-30 cm) in length. Measure content performance. There are numerous reports of nurse sharks occurring in unusual colors, including milky white and bright yellow. As in some other shark species, the male bites the female to hold her for mating. [4] As inoffensive as nurse sharks may appear, they are ranked fourth in documented shark bites on humans,[5] likely due to incautious behavior by divers on account of the nurse shark's slow, sedentary nature. They reach maturity at 15 to 20 years old. The term “nurse” probably derived from “Nusse”, the common name originally applied to catsharks of the family Scyliorhinidae, to which G.cirratum was originally thought to belong. The nurse shark genus Ginglymostoma is derived from Greek language meaning hinged mouth, whereas the species cirratum is derived from Latin meaning having curled ringlets. Scientists have discovered this species of shark is able to change its color in respond to light. Provide the Short Tail Nurse Shark, a low-stress environment with limited disruption and never expose it to copper-based medications. American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) may occasionally prey on nurse sharks in some coastal habitats. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 28). Internal fertilization. The… The Nurse Shark is a common coastal bottom-dwelling shark, found in tropical and subtropical waters around the continental shelves. However, populations are vulnerable and declining elsewhere in their range. After that, the pups are born fully developed with each one measuring about 30 cm (12 in.) At birth, the nurse shark is only 10-11 inches (27-30 cm) in length. Because they do not have to move to breathe, they are quite sedentary. Nurse sharks range in size from about 2-13 feet (0.75-4 m) long. One of the better known species of shark, nurse sharks are usually the first species that comes to mind when people think of non-aggressive sharks. The maximum length recorded is 13 feet but no one has reliably measured a nurse shark longer than a bit over 9 feet. Scientists have discovered this species of shark is able to change its color in respond to light. Nurse sharks are exceptionally sedentary unlike most other shark species. TEETH The nurse shark has thousands of replaceable teeth which are serrated and fan shaped; they are capable of crushing shellfish. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Nurse Shark Facts: Description, Habitat, and Behavior." Nurse sharks occur in warm tropical and subtropical waters off coasts of the Eastern and Western Atlantic and the Eastern Pacific. Create a personalised content profile. When captured prey is too large for a shark's mouth, the fish violently shakes its catch to tear it or uses a suck-and-spit technique to break it apart. Gestation typically lasts 5 to 6 months, with the female giving birth in June or July to about 30 pups. The nurse shark is light yellowish-brown to dark brown, and some have small dark spots. The nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) is a type of carpet shark. The sharks face pressure from their close proximity to human populations and are threatened by pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction. The mating season runs from late June to the end of July, with a gestation period of six months and a typical litter of 21–29 pups. They face against the current, allowing the water to flow into their mouths and across their gills. Females grow to be somewhat larger than males, and reach maturity at about seven feet long. A male shark on the left (with claspers) and a female shark on the right. Nurse sharks are obligate suction feeders capable of generating suction forces that are among the highest recorded for any aquatic vertebrate to date. Female nurse sharks, average 7.5 to 9 feet (2.2 to 2.7 metres) in length and weigh 165 to 230 pounds (75 to 105 kilograms) and are slightly larger than male nurse sharks. List of Partners (vendors). Juveniles are spotted, but they lose the pattern with age. After giving birth, it takes another 18 months before the female produces enough eggs to breed again. ... Conversely, a major advantage of internal fertilization is the extended period of parental care that increases long term survival. Shark snuggle parties are a thing. They are bottom-dwelling fish, living at a depth appropriate to their size. The Nurse Shark will require at least a 250-gallon or larger aquarium as a juvenile, and as an adult, it will require several thousand gallons to thrive. A large adult may weigh about 90 kg (200 lb). 2006). IT LIKES TO UNWIND IN BIG GROUPS. The largest documented nurse shark was 3.08 m (10.1 ft) long. Select personalised ads. The nurse shark has two rounded dorsal fins, rounded pectoral fins, an elongated caudal fin, and a broad head. Nurse sharks are most active at night, when they hunt. They also have long tails, which can make up about a quarter of their total length. Nurse Shark. As with all sharks, this giant fish is incredibly interesting and very important to the delicate marine ecosystem, especially near fragile coral reefs. They reach fairly large sizes (10 feet/3 m), but unlike most large shark species, they are not grayish in coloration. [7] In the Eastern Atlantic it ranges from Cape Verde to Gabon (accidental north to France). The largest documented nurse shark was 3.08 m (10.1 ft) long. [2] They are directly targeted in some fisheries and considered as bycatch in others. Newly born nurse sharks have a spotted coloration which fades with age and are about 30 cm in length when nascent. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/nurse-shark-facts-4177149. Nurse sharks adapt well to captivity and are an important species for research, primarily in the area of shark physiology. Young nurse sharks can be identified by their spots. [9] They are typically solitary nocturnal animals, rifling through bottom sediments in search of food at night, but often gregarious during the day forming large sedentary groups. While most sharks need to move to breathe, nurse sharks can rest motionless on the sea floor. Angel Shark. In some cases, you will be offered nurse sharks because of their docile nature. Use precise geolocation data. Apply market research to generate audience insights. The species is not found in cooler deep water. Lemon Shark Facts: Description, Behavior, Conservation, Blue Shark Facts: Size, Habitat, Reproduction, Greenland Shark Facts (Somniosus microcephalus), Sea Dragon Facts: Diet, Habitat, Reproduction, Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College. A common large inshore bottom shark of the continental and insular shelves in tropical and subtropical waters, often occurring at depths of a metre or less in the intertidal, but down to at least 12 m. The nurse shark is often found on rocky reefs, in channels between mangrove keys and on sand flats. Measuring in at 4-5 feet long (1.2-1.5 meters) the tiny leopard shark takes the number 3 slot. crustaceans, molluscs, tunicates). The first dorsal fin is the largest and all fins are rounded. These sharks can grow anywhere from 48" to 60" and can be kept with a variety of reef fish as long as they are adequately fed. Since many males may attempt to mate with a female, it's not uncommon for a female nurse shark to bear numerous scars. Nurse sharks can grow to lengths of up to 14 feet. [9], Nurse sharks are opportunistic predators that feed primarily on small fish (e.g. It inhabits the continental shelf, from sandy shorelines (hence the name sand tiger shark) and submerged reefs to a depth of around 191 m (627 ft). Usually, nurse sharks feed upon invertebrates and small fish. The largest are about 14 feet long and weigh up to 730 pounds. A nurse shark has two fins on its back and one fin on its tail, which can be very long. [8] The young nurse sharks are born fully developed at about 30 cm long. The mating cycle of nurse sharks is biennial, with females taking up to 18 months to produce a new batch of eggs. The Nurse Shark is a common bottom dwelling shark sporting long barbels close to the tip of the nose. It can't even be bothered to migrate to warmer waters when the temperature changes. 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