Day Two – Part One – Nurse Shark

Today I will blog about two species of shark.

Statistics

• Can reach lengths of 14 feet
• Can weigh up to 330 pounds
• Found in tropical and subtropical waters
• Bottom-dwelling shark

What I find interesting about the Nurse Shark is that they look a lot like a catfish.

They are nocturnal. Unlike most sharks, Nurse sharks are able to breathe while stationary by pumping water through their mouths and out their gills. Their prey primarily consists of bottom fishes and invertebrates including lobsters, crabs, snails, octopuses and squids. They seem lethargic during the day. However, at night they transform themselves into determined predators that routinely knock over coral heads and big boulders to get to their intended prey that they “vacuum” into their mouths while using a powerful, suction-feeding technique. This feeding method has earned them the nickname “sucker shark”.

Here is an interesting video about how nurse sharks bite.

To clear up a point of potential confusion, the gray nurse shark (a.k.a. sand tiger and ragged tooth) is not a type of nurse shark. The gray nurse is described in a different family of sharks than true nurse sharks.

According to the International Shark Attack Files the nurse shark has been attributed with a total of 27 recorded attacks since 1580 with no deaths reported.

Reproduction:

Nurse sharks eggs are carried and hatch inside the body of the female, and their young are born alive. Their gestation period is 6 months, and a typical litter is 21-28 pups.
I’ll admit, the Nurse Shark hasn’t really captured my attention so much, and I had a hard time finding a lot of information on them. I have learned that they are generally harmless unless provoked.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurse_shark
http://www.dtmag.com/Stories/Marine%20Life/06-03-whats_that.htm