Description

The Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma Cirratum) has two rounded dorsal fins, rounded pectoral fins, an elongated caudal fin, and a broad head. Maximum adult length is approximately 10.1′ feet. An adult Nurse Shark is brownish in color. Newly born Nurse Sharks have a spotted coloration which fades with age and are about 11.8″ inches in length when coming into existence.

The Nurse Shark is directly targeted in some fisheries and considered as by-catch in others. They are considered to be Near Threatened in the Western Atlantic due to their vulnerable status in South America and reported threats throughout many areas of Central America and the Caribbean; and they are considered to be a species of Least Concern in the U.S. and Bahamas.