Caribbean Nurse Shark [Ginglymostoma cirratum]
Description
The Caribbean Nurse Shark is a large, nocturnal shark that can reach lengths up to 14 feet. They are brownish in color and have small eyes and barbels near their mouths which they use to search for prey in the sand. They are generally non-aggressive and are known to live in the warm, shallow waters of the western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. Their diet mainly consists of crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Chordates
Chordata
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Cartilaginous Fish
Chondrichthyes
|
| Order |
Carpet Sharks
Orectolobiformes
|
| Family |
Nurse Sharks
Ginglymostomatidae
|
| Genus |
Caribbean Nurse Sharks
Pseudoginglymostoma
|