Nurse sharks

Of the shark family, the nurse shark is known to be the least threatening to humans. Although they are of the least hostile sharks, the National Aquarium in Baltimore advises to still be weary of them because they have strong jaws filled with thousands of serrated teeth that they can use to cause great damage if you step on or both them. 

Theories on how the “nurse shark” got its name:

1.      From the sucking sound they make while looking for food in the ocean’s sand. The sound resembles that of a nursing baby.

2.      .From the archaic word, nusse, which means cat shark. 

3.      The theory most accepted is that the name came from an Old English word, hurse, meaning sea-floor shark.

Characteristics:

• 7.5- 9.75 ft long
• Weight 200 – 300 lbs
• Light yellowish brown to dark brown, with or without dark spots
• Flat, smooth body with a broad, round head
• Large, long tails can be up to ¼ their total length.
• Slow-moving bottom dwellers, often found resting on the ocean’s floor

Location:

• Tropical and subtropical waters on both sides of North America.

• The warm, shallow waters of the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans.
• Found in reefs, sandy bottoms, caves and crevices.
• Nurse sharks are non-migratory. Meaning, that they don’t relocate in search of warmer water, rather, they adapt to the cold by being less active and resting even more than usual.

Eating habits:

• Feed mostly at night
• Dine on spiny lobsters, small stingrays, sea urchins, squid, bony fish, and shrimp