Origin
The nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) Ginglymostomatidae, order Orectolobiformes. It lives in the Atlantic Ocean (from the United States to Brazil) and the Pacific Ocean (from california to Peru). Most often swim in tropical and subtropical waters among rocks, coral reefs and near Sandy Shores.
It is also called the nanny shark, cat shark or nurse shark. It can be found in foreign or specialized literature and under the names: Nurse shark, Cat-shark or Ginglymostoma cirratum.
The name shark nurse or nurse has no exact origins. The name in Latin means "flexible-mouthed shark".
Fortunately this species of shark is not marketed as much as other more popular species. Those who want to own a species of shark avoid this species because of its size (they have to allocate a large space for movement).
Even though it is not yet in danger of extinction the number of the nurse shark population is declining due to slow growth and the capture of an increasing number of individuals. A population that has declined greatly has been recorded in the Atlantic Ocean.
Feeding The Nurse Shark
The nurse shark feeds on shrimp, lobsters, crabs, stingrays, octopuses, sea snakes or calamari.
It is a fish that goes out hunting at night, while the day rests. Take advantage of fish that are normally too fast to catch them as at night they are inactive, drowsy or sleepy. Their small mouth limits the size of their prey.
Their long, strong neck allows them to suck in virtually a large stream of water when approaching prey.
Besides fish, which make up most of its diet, the nurse shark also feeds on algae or corals.
Appearance Shark Nanny
The nurse shark has an approximate length of 4 meters and an average weight of 300 kg. It can reach lengths of 4.3 metres and weight of 330kg. It is not a large and scary shark but rather a relatively quiet and seemingly harmless fish.
The long and flexible body is propelled rather quickly by the powerful tail. It is dark yellow-brown in color on the back, and on the belly it is whitish Brown. The long tail represents a quarter of the entire body. The head is large and round. The small mouth is provided with small and protruding fleshy teeth that have a sensory role.
Behavior Of The Nurse Shark
The nurse shark dives to a depth of 130 metres. It is frequently encountered at shallow depths by divers. It is not an agile fish that expends its energy in search of food or for other reasons.
It has a conervatory behavior. It spends most of its time at the bottom of the water slowly or resting among rocks in groups of up to 40 individuals.
It is a social fish that tolerates other specimens of its species very well. During the day, more individuals can be seen on top of each other in good resting places. unlike other sharks that have to swim constantly to breathe, the nurse shark can also breathe when sitting or resting.
Like other sharks and other prey animals, he goes out hunting at night. If during the day they rest in groups, at night they are solitary and hunt on their own.
There have been very few attacks on people because it's not an aggressive fish. Even those attacks have resulted in divers pulling fish by the tail.
Breeding The Nurse Shark
The nurse shark is one of the few shark species to practice the mating ritual. The male swims around the female, catches her pectoral fins in her mouth and rolls her over.
Often a female is courted by several males. Although they accept their games they often prefer not to enter their game because it causes them injuries. So he goes to smaller waters to bury his fins in the sand.
Mating season takes place from June to July. It is an ovoviparous fish (eggs develop and hatch inside the body). The female gives birth to fully developed live Cubs. The gestation period is about 6 months.
After the gestation period the female gives birth to 20-30 Cubs. Puppies at birth are 30 cm in size and have spots that disappear over time.
The nurse shark grows hard and reaches maturity at the age of 10-15 years males and 15-20 years females.
