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Atlantic Nurse Shark

Nurse sharks are true homebodies! These sluggish, bottom-dwelling sharks have relatively small home ranges and often sleep in the same location day after day — sometimes piled in with up to 40 other nurse sharks.

 

These large coastal sharks can grow to be up to 3 meters (10 feet) long, although sizes around 2.3-2.4 meters (7.5 -8 feet) are more common. Their most notable feature is two sensory barbels that hang near their mouth, which may aid the shark in detecting prey.  

Found in warm, coastal waters in the Atlantic Ocean, they feed mostly at night, using powerful suction to pull in prey like crustaceans, mollusks, fish, and stingrays. Nurse sharks rely primarily on sound, touch, smell and electroreception to find their prey, with each sense playing a different role in identifying, detecting, and catching their food. During the day, these sharks rest in caves, rocky crevices, or on the ocean floor, often in a group or pile with other nurse sharks. 

 

 

Nurse sharks face a variety of human-caused threats, leading them to be classified as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. 

Overfishing 

Nurse sharks are targeted across their range for their fins, meat, and skin. These fisheries are often unmanaged and are increasing in multiple areas. Nurse sharks are also killed by fishers who may consider them ”nuisance” animals. 

Habitat Loss 

They’re also susceptible to habitat loss, especially the degradation and destruction of coral reefs. Coral bleaching due to rising global temperatures also threatens their habitat. 

 

 

Proper monitoring and management is needed to regulate nurse shark fisheries and prevent overfishing. Oceana is continuing to work around the world to mitigate the effects of overfishing and increase the number of fisheries with management plans and catch limits in order to rebuild ocean abundance. We also campaign to protect ocean habitat, including critical coastal ecosystems, from destructive fishing practices.

 

 

 

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