nurse shark nurse shark species carpet shark family extant member genus found widely coastlines preferring reefs sandy flats beds shallow water depth cylindrical body broad flattened head nurse shark similar appearance nurse shark atlantic distinguished pointed tipped dorsal fins narrow shaped pectoral fins maximum recorded length nurse shark nocturnal habits nurse shark tends spend day resting piles dozen individuals inside caves night active swimming predator uses powerful force extract prey inside holes diet species consists mainly octopus invertebrates small bony fishes rarely sea snakes viviparous meaning embryos hatch egg inside mother carpet shark embryos feeding eggs produced mother inside litter size small based large size near term embryos compared nurse shark nurse shark disposition allow divers touch play accorded respect powerful jaws sharp teeth species caught commercial fisheries range meat fins liver oil leather game fish queensland australia known habit water faces captors assessed nurse shark vulnerable areas diminished taxonomy phylogeny nurse shark described french naturalist based long specimen new_guinea short account published voyage tour sur corvette detailed description illustration published german naturalist based specimen red_sea names retained separate genera respectively recognized tooth shape differences separate species result differences age representing younger individuals genus derived greek word meaning skin specific epithet latin colored common names species include giant shark madame coined shark fisherman 1930s unidentified australian specimens nurse shark shark shark shark shark based morphological similarities believed sister genus placed clade contains short tail nurse shark whale shark shark distribution habitat nurse shark widely distributed indian_ocean found south_africa northward red_sea india including madagascar mauritius western pacific occurs southern japan coast china philippines southeast_asia indonesia far south northern coast australia central pacific reported fossil teeth belonging species found northern brazil dating presence fossils indicates range nurse shark extended tropical atlantic_ocean prior formation panama species nurse shark inhabits continental shelves sandy flats beds outer edges coral rocky reefs shark found surf zone water barely deep cover body maximum depth coral reefs common depth young sharks generally found shallow areas adults encountered variety habitats description nurse shark grows maximum length robust cylindrical body broadly rounded flattened head eyes small face prominent ridges smaller pair long slender nostrils mouth small lower lip divided tooth rows upper jaw tooth rows lower jaw arranged overlapping pattern functional rows separated rest narrow space tooth resembles fan broad base rising small sharp central point flanked smaller sides shark ages teeth relatively taller thicker fourth fifth pairs gill slits placed closer dorsal pelvic fins angular dorsal fin larger second pectoral fins narrow pointed shaped shape separates species similar looking nurse shark origin dorsal fin origin pelvic fins origin anal fin somewhat origin second dorsal fin caudal fin shallow upper lobe barely present lower lobe comprising quarter total length adults dermal denticles diamond shaped bearing faint ridges blunt point nurse sharks yellowish reddish grayish brown white capable slowly changing color better blend environment young sharks white lower nurse sharks found coasts japan taiwan lack second dorsal fin physical speculated result pregnant females exposed water unusually high temperature possibly human activity long adult male missing dorsal fin partial form white body color gray brown eyes captured japan individual largest shark known date having survived long time wild despite lack camouflage biology ecology streamlined form nurse sharks nurse shark believed benthic active swimmer characteristics body head fins teeth comparable active reef sharks sharing range lemon shark nurse sharks primarily nocturnal said active hours madagascar captivity active presented food day groups dozen sharks found resting inside caves stacked atop individual sharks small home ranges consistently return day nurse shark natural predators attacks species reported bull sharks great related nurse shark known fall prey tiger sharks lemon sharks known parasites species include species genus shark spiral feeding nurse shark fishes specializing octopus known food items include sea crustaceans crabs squid small fishes occasional sea snake hunting nurse sharks swim slowly sea floor heads depressions holes prey item found shark expands large muscular creating powerful negative pressure prey mouth life history mating nurse shark known occur july august madagascar adult females functional functional mode reproduction meaning embryos hatch inside females captivity documented non viable egg led erroneous reports shark egg species shaped thin brown translucent shells nurse shark carpet shark developing embryos exhaust supply yolk gorge eggs produced mother acquire abdomen characteristic embryos unlike sharks eggs consumed embryos large shelled small undeveloped evidence sibling sand tiger shark authors reported length birth possibly reflecting geographic variation females release eggs large size suggest litter size examined female embryos sharing single embryo smaller thinner implying competition eliminate additional siblings males attain sexual maturity length females length human interactions encounters nurse sharks underwater indicate demeanor similar nurse shark usually divers able approach sharks closely touch play incident species provoked biting merits respect strength small sharp teeth extremely powerful jaws nurse sharks favored attractions divers thailand species captivity displayed public europe united_states okinawa singapore hand fed nurse shark taken commercial fisheries operating range including pakistan india thailand philippines exception australian waters taken small numbers shark caught floating fixed gill nets hook line meat sold fresh dried fins shark fin soup processed addition liver source oil thick tough skin leather products queensland australia nurse shark valued big game hooked large individuals opponents difficult subdue habit spinning capable powerful jet water faces captors making noises jets making shark species sharks produce noise deliberate defensive behavior uncertain assessed nurse shark vulnerable worldwide faces heavy fishing pressure low reproductive dispersal rates limit ability exploited populations recover furthermore shark habitat renders susceptible habitat degradation destructive fishing practices explosives especially prevalent indonesia philippines human harassment localized declines nurse shark documented india thailand australia species assessed concern targeted fisheries
Tawny nurse shark