Elasmobranch fish in the family Ginglymostomatidae
Not to be confused with grey nurse shark or tawny nurse shark.
Nurse shark
Temporal range: 112–0 Ma
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Albian to Present[1]
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Chondrichthyes
Subclass:
Elasmobranchii
Subdivision:
Selachimorpha
Order:
Orectolobiformes
Family:
Ginglymostomatidae
Genus:
Ginglymostoma
Species:
G. cirratum
Binomial name
Ginglymostoma cirratum
(Bonnaterre, 1788)
Range in blue
The nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) is an elasmobranch fish in the family Ginglymostomatidae. The conservation status of the nurse shark is globally assessed as Vulnerable in the IUCN List of Threatened Species.[2] They are considered to be a species of least concern in the United States and in The Bahamas, but considered to be near threatened in the western Atlantic Ocean because of their vulnerable status in South America and reported threats throughout many areas of Central America and the Caribbean.[2] They are directly targeted in some fisheries and considered by-catch in others.
Nurse sharks are an important species for shark research.[3] They are robust and able to tolerate capture, handling, and tagging extremely well.[4] As inoffensive as nurse sharks may appear, they are ranked fourth in documented shark bites on humans,[5] likely due to incautious behavior by divers on account of the nurse shark's calm, sedentary nature.
^Sepkoski, J. (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560.
^Osgood, G. J and J. K. Baum. (2015). "Reef sharks: recent advances in ecological understanding to inform conservation". Journal of Fisheries Biology. 87 (6): 1489–1523. doi:10.1111/jfb.12839. PMID 26709218.
^Aucoin, S.; Weege, S.; Toebee, M.; Guertin, J.; Gorham, J.; Bresette, M. (2017). "A new underwater shark capture method used by divers to catch and release nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum)". Fishery Bulletin. 115 (4): 484–495. doi:10.7755/FB.115.4.5.
^Ricci, J. A.; Vargas, C. R.; Singhal, D.; Lee, B. T. (2016). "Shark attack-related injuries: epidemiology and implications for plastic surgeons". Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery. 69 (1): 108–114. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2015.08.029. PMID 26460789.
The nurseshark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) is an elasmobranch fish in the family Ginglymostomatidae. The conservation status of the nurseshark is globally...
The sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus), gray nurseshark, spotted ragged-tooth shark or blue-nurse sand tiger, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical...
The tawny nurseshark (Nebrius ferrugineus) is a species of carpet shark in the family Ginglymostomatidae, and the only extant member of the genus Nebrius...
One of the first shark species to be protected was the grey nurseshark (Carcharias taurus). The biology, distribution and conservation of this species...
tiger shark, blue shark, great white shark, mako shark, thresher shark, and hammerhead shark. Sharks are caught by humans for shark meat or shark fin soup...
Sharks portal Ginglymostoma unami, also known as the Pacific nurseshark is a nurseshark of the family Ginglymostomatidae. It is found in southeastern...
morphological support for the placement of the zebra shark, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), and the nursesharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum, Nebrius ferrugineus...
The lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) is a species of shark from the family Carcharhinidae and is classified as a Vulnerable species by the International...
The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a species of ground shark, and the only extant member of the genus Galeocerdo and family Galeocerdonidae. It is...
faster rates, cold water temperatures slowed tooth replacement rates in nursesharks. They are only shed once new teeth are formed underneath and push them...
The blue shark (Prionace glauca), also known as the great blue shark, is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, which inhabits deep...
The Pacific sleeper shark (Somniosus pacificus) is a sleeper shark of the family Somniosidae, found in the North Pacific on continental shelves and slopes...
carpet sharks known as nursesharks, containing four species in three genera. Common in shallow, tropical and subtropical waters, these sharks are sluggish...
Sharks portal The southern sleeper shark, or Whitley's sleeper shark (Somniosus antarcticus), is a deepwater benthopelagic sleeper shark of the family...
The oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) is a large pelagic requiem shark inhabiting tropical and warm temperate seas. It has a stocky body...
bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo), also called a bonnet shark or shovelhead, is a small member of the hammerhead shark genus Sphyrna, and part of the family Sphyrnidae...
name "cat shark". Despite this moniker, they are not true members of the catshark family, and are more closely related to the nursesharks, wobbegongs...
The sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus), also known as the brown shark or thickskin shark, is a species of requiem shark, and part of the family Carcharhinidae...
A sawshark or saw shark is a member of a shark order (Pristiophoriformes /prɪstiˈɒfɒrɪfɔːrmiːz/) bearing a unique long, saw-like rostrum (snout or bill)...
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual...
Sand sharks, also known as sand tiger sharks, gray nursesharks or ragged tooth sharks, are mackerel sharks of the family Odontaspididae. They are found...
The epaulette shark (/ɛpəlɛt ʃɑːrk/, Hemiscyllium ocellatum) is a species of longtailed carpet shark of the family Hemiscylliidae, found in shallow, tropical...
acanthias), spurdog, mud shark, or piked dogfish is one of the best known species of the Squalidae (dogfish) family of sharks, which is part of the Squaliformes...
"fierce". Other common names for this shark include blue nurseshark, fierce shark, Herbst's nurseshark, and sand tiger shark. A phylogenetic study based on...
Wobbegong is the common name given to the 12 species of carpet sharks in the family Orectolobidae. They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters...
Cow sharks are a shark family, the Hexanchidae, characterized by an additional pair or pairs of gill slits. Its 37 species are placed within the 10 genera:...
The Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) is a nocturnal, oviparous (egg laying) type of bullhead shark of the family Heterodontidae, found...
Global Information
