Nurse shark 5363452 224517840 2008-07-09T05:42:52Z Stefan 9673 rv removal of wikilinking without reason {{Taxobox | name = Nurse shark | fossil_range = [[Albian]] to Present<ref>{{cite journal | last = Sepkoski | first = Jack | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry) | journal = Bulletins of American Paleontology | volume = 364 | issue = | pages = p.560 | publisher = | location = | date = 2002 | url = http://strata.ummp.lsa.umich.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=575&rank=class | doi = | id = | accessdaymonth = [[9 January]]|accessyear= [[2008]] }}</ref> | status = DD | status_system = IUCN3.1 | trend = unknown | image = nurse shark.jpg | image_width = 250px | image_caption = ''Ginglymostoma cirratum'' | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Chondrichthyes]] | subclassis = [[Elasmobranchii]] | ordo = [[Orectolobiformes]] | familia = [[Ginglymostomatidae]] | genus = '''''Ginglymostoma''''' | genus_authority = [[Otto Friedrich Müller|Müller]] and [[Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle|Henle]], [[1837]] | range_map = Ginglymostoma cirratum distmap.png | range_map_width = 200px | range_map_caption = Range of nurse shark (in blue) | binomial = ''Ginglymostoma cirratum'' | binomial_authority = ([[Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre|Bonnaterre]], [[1788]]) }} {{distinguish|grey nurse shark}} The '''nurse shark''', ''Ginglymostoma cirratum'', is a shark in the [[nurse sharks]] family, the only member of its [[genus]] '''''Ginglymostoma'''''. Nurse sharks can reach a length of 4.3&nbsp;[[metre|m]]. ==Taxonomy== The name ''nurse shark'' is thought to be a corruption of ''nusse'', a name which once referred to the [[catshark]]s of the family Scyliorhinidae. The nurse shark family name, Ginglymostomatidae, derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]]: from γίγγλυμος meaning ''hinge'' and στῶμα meaning ''mouth.'' Cirratum also derives from Greek, meaning curl. ==Distribution and habitat== The nurse shark is a common inshore bottom-dwelling shark, found in tropical and subtropical waters on the continental and insular shelves. It is frequently found at depths of one&nbsp;meter or less but may occur down to 12&nbsp;m. Its common habitats are reefs, channels between mangrove islands and sand flats. It occurs in the Western Atlantic from Rhode Island down to southern Brazil; in the Eastern Atlantic from Cameroon to Gabon (and possibly ranges further north and south); in the Eastern Pacific from the southern Baja California to Peru; and around the islands of the Caribbean.<ref name="FAO">{{cite book|author= Leonard J. V. Compagno| title=Sharks of the World: An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date|publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations|date=1984|pages=205-207, 555–61, 588}}</ref> ==Behavior and diet== Nurse sharks are nocturnal animals, spending the day in large inactive groups of up to 40 individuals. Hidden under submerged ledges or in crevices within the [[reef]], the nurse sharks seem to prefer specific resting sites and will return to them each day after the night's hunting. By night, the sharks are largely solitary; they spend most of their time rifling through the bottom sediments in search of food. Their diet consists primarily of [[crustacean]]s, [[mollusc]]s, [[tunicate]]s, and other [[fish]], particularly [[stingray]]s. Their diet consists of a large number of marine invertebrates - [[lobster|spiny lobsters]], [[crabs]], [[shrimp]], [[sea urchins]], [[octopuses]], [[squid]], and marine snails and bivalves. They are thought to take advantage of dormant fish which would otherwise be too fast for the sharks to catch; although their small mouths limit the size of prey items, the sharks have large throat cavities which are used as a sort of bellows valve. In this way nurse sharks are able to suck in their prey. Nurse sharks are also known to graze [[algae]] and [[coral]]. Nurse sharks have been observed resting on the bottom with their bodies supported on their fins, possibly providing a false shelter for crustaceans which they then ambush and eat.<ref name="FAO" /> ==Reproduction== The mating season runs from late June to the end of July. Nurse sharks are [[Ovoviviparity|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 litter of 21 - 28 pups.<ref name="FAO" /> The mating cycle is biennial, as it takes 18 months for the female's ovaries to produce another batch of eggs, during which time, cannibalistic behavior can occur. The young nurse sharks are born fully developed at about 30&nbsp;[[centimetre|cm]] long in ''Ginglymostoma cirratum''. They possess a spotted coloration which fades with age. ==Interaction with humans== The nurse shark is not widely commercially fished, but because of its sluggish behaviour it is an easy target for local fisheries. Its skin is exceptionally tough and is prized for leather; its flesh consumed fresh and salted and its liver utilised for oil. It is not taken as a game fish. It has been reported in some unprovoked attacks on humans but is not generally perceived as a threat.<ref name="FAO" /> ==Gallery== <gallery> Image:Nurse_Shark_4472.jpg|Nurse shark near Ambergris Caye, Belize Image:Nurse_Shark_4474.jpg|Nurse shark near Ambergris Caye, Belize Image:Nurse shark with remoras.jpg|Nurse shark with attached [[remora]]s Image:Photos050306 014.jpg|Nurse shark in an aquarium Image:Nurse_Sharks_Mayan_Temple_Slides_at_Atlantis.jpg|Nurse sharks at the bottom of Mayan Temple Water Slides at [[Atlantis Paradise Island|Atlantis]] Image:Nurse shark top view.jpg|Top down view of a nurse shark in an aquarium. </gallery> ==See also== * [[List of sharks]] ==References== <references/> * {{IUCN2006|assessors=Rosa ''et al''|year=2005|id=60223|title=Ginglymostoma cirratum|downloaded=[[10 May]] [[2006]]}} Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as data deficient * {{ITIS|ID=159977|taxon=Ginglymostoma cirratum|year=2006|date=31 May}} * {{FishBase_species|genus=Ginglymostoma|species=cirratum|year=2005|month=November}} ==External links== {{Sharksportal}} {{wikispecies|Ginglymostoma cirratum}} * [http://www.eol.org/taxa/17144718 Nurse Shark - Encyclopedia of Life] [[Category:Ginglymostomatidae]] [[Category:Ovoviviparous fish]] [[ca:Tauró nodrissa]] [[de:Ammenhaie]] [[es:Ginglymostoma cirratum]] [[fr:Ginglymostoma]] [[it:Ginglymostoma cirratum]] [[nl:Verpleegsterhaai]] [[pl:Ginglymostomatidae]] [[zh:绞口鲨科]]