Identity card
LATIN NAME: Ginglymostoma cirratum
FAMILY: Ginglymostomatidae
PHYLUM : Chordata
CLASS : Chondrichthyes
The nurse shark lives close to the coast in tropical waters. It can be recognised by its flat head and small eyes.
It lives on the seabed and in shallow coastal waters, from the intertidal zone down to 130 metres.
The nurse shark eats bony fish, rays, invertebrates and also seaweed and carrion. With its barbels and highly-developed sense of smell, it can find prey hiding in the sea floor.
It can grow to 4.5 metres.
This species is ovoviviparous. Once the eggs have hatched, around 30 juveniles will be expelled from the female’s body once they have grown to around 30 centimetres.
