 The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed the tawny nurse shark as Vulnerable, with subpopulations in several areas already diminished or extirpated.The tawny nurse shark was first described by French naturalist René-Primevère Lesson as "Scyllium ferrugineum", based on a long specimen from New Guinea.His short account was published in 1831 in "Voyage au tour du monde, sur la corvette La Coquille".