Monday 30 May 2016

Ginglymostoma cirratum (Nurse shark)

During our snorkel in Zane Grey, we spotted a Ginglymostoma cirratum (Nurse shark) swimming right under us. Nurse sharks are large benthic sharks that can be found in tropic and subtropic waters. They can reach up to 10ft in length and can be up to 730lbs. Nurse sharks have a broad head, a dorsal fin set way back, nasal barbels and are brownish in color.


Nurse sharks are nocturnal animals and stay in groups of about 40 during the day while sleeping. During the night, they will swim and hunt alone. Their diet consists mainly of  crustaceans, mollusks, tunicates, sea snakes, stingrays, and other fish. These sharks are generally ductile unless provoked.

Nurse sharks are ovoviviparous, meaning that they have eggs that hatch inside the mother and then develop until live birth. Mating season runs from June to July. Gestation period lasts about 6 months and a litter of pups generally is around 21-29 pups.


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