Species page
Nurse Shark
Bottom-dwelling shark with a slow, steady pace.
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Near Threatened
Overview
This species belongs to the nurse shark family, a group better known for bottom-resting patience than for speed. Look for barbels, a broad head, and a habit of cruising slowly over reef and sand. Nurse sharks have a broad head, two barbels near the mouth, small eyes, and a generally soft, rounded appearance compared with active requiem sharks. Nurse sharks and close relatives occur mainly in tropical and subtropical coastal waters of the Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific. Species ranges vary from broad warm-water distributions to more regional patterns.
They favor shallow reefs, sandy flats, channels, lagoons, mangrove edges, and other structured coastal habitats where resting cover is available.
A common sight in warm shelf habitats.
Why it matters: The mouth works like a suction tool, helping these sharks pull prey from crevices.
Common nameNurse Shark
Scientific nameGinglymostoma cirratum
FamilyGinglymostomatidae
OrderOrectolobiformes
Max length3.2 m
Depth range0 to 30 meters
ConservationNear Threatened
RegionWestern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
DietFish, rays, crabs, mollusks
HabitatRocky reef bottoms, seagrass, mangrove creeks
Why it stands outNight feeding behavior and gill-slitting mouth
What this shark is
Nurse sharks have a broad head, two barbels near the mouth, small eyes, and a generally soft, rounded appearance compared with active requiem sharks.
Where it lives
Nurse sharks and close relatives occur mainly in tropical and subtropical coastal waters of the Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific. Species ranges vary from broad warm-water distributions to more regional patterns.
They favor shallow reefs, sandy flats, channels, lagoons, mangrove edges, and other structured coastal habitats where resting cover is available.
How it differs from similar sharks
Night feeding behavior and gill-slitting mouth
Compare it against Ginglymostoma Unami and Bonnethead.
Why it is notable
They are often approachable and usually calm, but a provoked or restrained nurse shark can bite hard and hold on. Habitat change and fisheries also affect some populations.
Species-level taxonomy was verified from Sharkipedia's current species list and taxonomy workbook. In this pass, the narrative fields are cautious family-level placeholders synthesized from broad shark references, chiefly the FAO Sharks of the World catalogue, because a stronger multi-source species-level synthesis was not assembled here without risking invented detail. Replace this with a direct species-level synthesis before publication in the app.
Related shark pages
These links are meant to help readers continue through related species, not force extra clicks.
Ginglymostoma Unami
Shark species in Ginglymostomatidae.
Bonnethead
Small hammerhead with a rounded head and quick turns.
1.7 m maxLeast Concern