The Nurse Shark

The nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, is a bluff in the nurse sharks (Ginglymostomatidae) family, the alone affiliate of its brand Ginglymostoma. Nurse sharks can ability a breadth of 4.3 m (14 ft) and a weight of 330 lbs (150 kg).

The nurse bluff ancestors name, Ginglymostomatidae, derives from the Greek: from γίγγλυμος acceptation articulation and στῶμα acceptation mouth. Cirratum additionally derives from Greek, acceptation coil or swim. Based on morphological similarities, Ginglymostoma is believed to be the sister brand of Nebrius, with both actuality placed in a clade that additionally contains the short-tail assistant bluff (Pseudoginglymostoma brevicaudatum), the bang bluff (Rhincodon typus), and the adjudicator bluff (Stegostoma fasciatum).

The nurse bluff is a accepted inshore bottom-dwelling shark, begin in close and subtropical amnion on the continental and alone shelves. It is frequently begin at base of one beat or beneath but may action bottomward to 75 m. Its accepted habitats are reefs, channels amid mangrove islands and beach flats. It occurs in the Western Atlantic from Rhode Island bottomward to southern Brazil; in the Eastern Atlantic from Cameroon to Gabon (and possibly ranges added arctic and south); in the Eastern Pacific from the southern Baja California to Peru; and about the islands of the Caribbean.

Nurse sharks are nocturnal animals, spending the day in ample abeyant groups of up to 40 individuals. Hidden beneath abysmal ledges or in crevices aural the reef, the nurse sharks assume to adopt specific comatose sites and will acknowledgment to them anniversary day afterwards the night's hunting. By night, the sharks are abundantly solitary; they absorb best of their time rifling through the basal sediments in chase of food. Their diet consists primarily of crustaceans, molluscs, tunicates, sea snakes, and added fish, decidedly stingrays.

They are anticipation to booty advantage of abeyant angle which would contrarily be too fast for the sharks to catch; although their baby mouths absolute the admeasurement of casualty items, the sharks accept ample throat cavities which are acclimated as a array of bellows valve. In this way assistant sharks are able to blot in their prey. Nurse sharks are additionally accepted to abrade algae and coral.

Nurse sharks accept been empiric comatose on the basal with their bodies accurate on their fins, possibly accouterment a apocryphal apartment for crustaceans which they again ambuscade and eat.

Nurse sharks are able to respire while anchored by pumping baptize through their mouths and out gills.