Nurse shark

Depth: 50 m · Sunlight Zone

The nurse shark often rests quietly in groups under rocky ledges by day and hunts at night. With two barbels by its mouth it feels for prey in the sand and then sucks it in powerfully. It is calm and harmless to people.

For scientists

The nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) generates one of the strongest suction pressures among sharks with its small mouth and expanded throat, drawing prey out of crevices. It is nocturnal and rests by day, sometimes stacked in groups. It tastes and feels for prey in the sediment with its barbels.

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