Nurse Shark Research Paper

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Nurse Shark
Scientific Name: Ginglymostoma cirratum, meaning “curled hinged mouth.”

er of competition for their food, they primarily like to hunt by their lonesome. Nurse sharks do not have a set predator that routinely feeds off of them. Although, scientists have found nurse sharks inside the stomachs of lemon sharks and tiger sharks. Most likely, this is because of how small the nurse sharks are compared to other sharks. Lemon sharks and tiger sharks feed off the nurse sharks as they are still pups and most vulnerable. A whale shark can be closely related to a nurse shark. A whale shark differs greatly in size than that of a nurse shark. The characteristics’ of a whale shark to a nurse shark are similar, both are slow-sluggish moving, filter feeders, both are known for being the “gentle” species of sharks, and they both have a remotely …show more content…

Groups of nurse sharks are also known to seek out reefs or caves, and these groups have been observed to be almost lying on top of each other. Geographically, nurse sharks can be found; in the Atlantic Ocean extending from Rhode Island to southern Brazil, in the eastern Atlantic extending from the Cape Verde Islands to Gabon along the African coast, and in the American Pacific coast extending from Baja California in Mexico to Peru. Their depth range extends from the intertidal zone down to a depth of at least 40 feet. They dwell on the sea floor in warm, shallow waters. Very little goes on in their habitat primarily because, nurse sharks are nocturnal hunters and rest throughout the day. Though they go out at night to hunt, nurse sharks are creatures of habit. Nurse sharks return to their point of interest resting sites, and they rarely

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