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The tawny nurse shark or giant sleepy shark, Nebrius ferrugineus, is a nurse shark
Nurse shark

The nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, is a shark in the nurse sharks family, the only member of its genus Ginglymostoma. Nurse sharks can reach a length of 4.3 m and a weight of 330 lbs ....
 in the family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 Ginglymostomatidae, the only member of the genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Nebrius. It is found in the tropical Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific is a biogeography region of the earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia....
 oceans between latitudes 31° N
31st parallel north

The 31st parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 31 degree true north of the Earth equator.Part of the border between Iran and Iraq is defined by the parallel....
 and 24° S
24th parallel south

The 24th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 24 degree south of the Earth equator, just south of the Tropic of Capricorn.Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 24? south passes through:...
, and reaches a length of 3.2 m
Metre

The metre or meter is a Unit of measurement of length. It is the SI base unit of length in the metric system and in the International System of Units , used around the world for general and scientific purposes....
.

The tawny nurse shark is a large, bulky species with a small mouth and small comb-like teeth, and with angular fins.






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The tawny nurse shark or giant sleepy shark, Nebrius ferrugineus, is a nurse shark
Nurse shark

The nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, is a shark in the nurse sharks family, the only member of its genus Ginglymostoma. Nurse sharks can reach a length of 4.3 m and a weight of 330 lbs ....
 in the family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 Ginglymostomatidae, the only member of the genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Nebrius. It is found in the tropical Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific is a biogeography region of the earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia....
 oceans between latitudes 31° N
31st parallel north

The 31st parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 31 degree true north of the Earth equator.Part of the border between Iran and Iraq is defined by the parallel....
 and 24° S
24th parallel south

The 24th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 24 degree south of the Earth equator, just south of the Tropic of Capricorn.Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 24? south passes through:...
, and reaches a length of 3.2 m
Metre

The metre or meter is a Unit of measurement of length. It is the SI base unit of length in the metric system and in the International System of Units , used around the world for general and scientific purposes....
.

The tawny nurse shark is a large, bulky species with a small mouth and small comb-like teeth, and with angular fins. The caudal fin is short, much less than half the length of body, and there are no ridges on the side of the body. The pectoral fins are sickle-shaped, and the spiracles are much smaller than the eye.

It is found on continental
Continental shelf

The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain, and was part of the continent during the glacial periods, but is undersea during Ice age such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas and Bay....
 and insular shelves, from the intertidal zone
Intertidal zone

The intertidal zone is the area that is exposed to the air at low tide and submerged at high tide, for example, the area between tide marks. This area can include many different types of habitats, including steep rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, or wetlands ....
 down to at least 70 m. It occurs on or near the bottom in lagoons or along the outer edges of coral
Coral

Corals are marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small sea anemone?like polyps, typically in colonies of many identical individuals....
 and rocky reefs, sandy areas near reefs and off sandy beaches. Primarily nocturnal, but may be active during the day. It prefers crevices and caves on reefs but may be found hiding in more exposed areas, forming resting aggregations, and often seen piled across or on top of one another.

It feeds on a wide variety of bottom invertebrate
Invertebrate

An invertebrate is an animal lacking a vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal species ? all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum vertebrate ....
s, small fishes, cephalopod
Cephalopod

The cephalopods are the mollusc class Cephalopoda characterized by bilateral symmetry, a prominent head, and a modification of the mollusk foot, a muscular hydrostat, into the form of cephalopod arms or tentacles....
s, crustacean
Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s and sea urchin
Sea urchin

Sea urchins are small, spiny, globular creatures that compose most of class Echinoidea. They are found in oceans all over the world. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from 3 to 10 cm across....
s. It has a docile nature and has been known to allow itself to be touched, but a few non-fatal attacks have been recorded.

Reproduction is ovoviviparous with 4 or more pups being born per litter. It survives in captivity.

The flesh is marketed fresh and dried-salted, the fins dried for the oriental sharkfin trade, and the liver is processed for vitamin
Vitamin

A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. A compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be biosynthesis in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet....
s and oil. The offal is processed for fishmeal, and the hide is potentially valuable for leather.

Coloration is brown dorsally
Dorsum (biology)

In anatomy, the dorsum is the upper side of animals that typically run, fly, or swim in a horizontal position, and the back side of animals that walk upright....
, paler ventrally, with the fins slightly dusky.

See also

  • List of sharks
    List of sharks

    Shark classificationSharks belong to the superorder Selachimorpha in the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. It is a fish. The Elasmobranchii also include batoidea and skate s; the Chondrichthyes also include Chimaeras....
  • List of prehistoric cartilaginous fish
    List of prehistoric cartilaginous fish

    This list of prehistoric cartilaginous fish is an attempt to create a comprehensive listing of all Genus that have ever been included in the class chondrichthyes and are known from the fossil record....


External links

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