The Nurse Shark

  For many a species that would hold little interest, there is in fact far more to the nurse shark than meets the eye.

  Most people dismiss the nurse shark because of its evident lack of aggression. It is only to be expected, of course, that the more volatile sharks are the ones people find the most interesting. Yet those who study nurse sharks and delve into the secrets of the species find that they hold a great many surprising secrets beneath their dull exterior.

  Found in most warm waters, such as the Mediterranean Sea and West Atlantic Ocean, the nurse shark is a common sight for divers. A slow swimmer, few divers would have bargained on the nurse shark being as aggressive as it is towards humans. Although no fatalities have been recorded, this shark has perpetrated numerous unprovoked attacks to supplement the multitudes of provoked ones. Since many divers abhorrently abuse these creatures, perceiving them as weak and passive, it is most likely that those who have been attacked by nurse sharks have not recorded the occurrences for fear of persecution and humiliation. Surprisingly, nurse sharks are responsible for the most shark bites recorded.

Because of their docile nature, nurse sharks are commonly exhibited in aquariums.

  With thick skin prized above most others' as leather, nurse sharks are hunted in many areas for both their tough hide and also their liver oil, which is used in medicine. Because of its widespread population, biologists are uncertain as to the numbers of nurse sharks, although they do not believe them to be at threat of extinction.

  Feeding mostly on shellfish and crabs, nurse sharks have flat, molar-like teeth used to crush through the tough shells of their prey. For tougher-shelled creatures, however, they have a different technique: creating a vacuum with their mouths, nurse sharks are able to suck a shellfish from its casing -  rendering it defenceless and easy to eat.

  Growing up to three metres long, nurse sharks are, like the vast majority of reef dwelling sharks, nocturnal, spending most of the day resting in caves. Like many other reef sharks, nurse sharks are able to breathe without moving, by pumping water over their gills as they sit on the sand. Social creatures, nurse sharks have been known to sleep in conglomerations of up to forty specimens.

Nurse sharks normally live for about twenty five human years.