Nurse SharksCD

Nurse Sharks CD
Taxonomy:

• Discovered by Sonnaterre
• Called it squalus cirratus
• Current scientific combination now is gingrymotoma cirraturn

Common names:

• "Nurse" is dirived from "Nusse" which was a common name for catsharks

Geographical Distribution:

• Common in the atlantic and in the eastern pacific
• Also common in costal tropical and sub tropical waters

Habbits:

• It is a nocturnal animal
• Rests on the sand bottoms or in caves and they pick out resting sights they like
• They are very active at night

Biology:

• They have two spineless dorsal fins
• The first dorsal fin is larger than the second

Coleration:

• Adult nurse sharks generally range from light yellowish tan to dark brown in color

Dentition:

• There is no overlap in there teeth
• They have the simplest form of teeth among sharks

Size:

• Adult male nurse sharks average 7.5 to 8 feet in length and 167 to 233 pounds in weight
• Adult female nurse sharks average 7 to 8.5 feet in length and 200 to 267 pound in weight
• Adult females are generally larger than adult female nurse sharks

Food Habits:

• It is a nocturnal predator
• It eats fish as well as sting rays, molluscs, and crustations

Reproduction:

• The embreonic development takes place inside an egg case within a mother
• The gestation takes about six months

Predators:

• The have no regular predators
• Sometimes found in the bellies of tiger sharks

Works Cited:
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/nurseshark/nurseshark.htm
Question:
What is special about the nurse sharks teeth?