Sharks
Nurse Shark
Ginglymostoma cirratum · Cartilaginous fish, family Ginglymostomatidae
The nurse shark is the Caribbean's resident couch dweller: a heavy-bodied, small-eyed animal the color of wet sand, folded under a ledge with its barbels drooping and its tail poking into the current. It can pump water over its gills while motionless, so entire dives pass while it does precisely nothing. Then a night dive reveals the other nurse shark, nosing urgently through coral and inhaling octopus with an audible thump. At Belize's Shark Ray Alley and Bahamian feed sites they swarm like eager dogs. Its mellow reputation is deserved, right up until someone grabs one.
أين ومتى تراها
"مقيم" تعني أن معظم الغطسات في هذه الوجهة ستُمكّنك من مشاهدتها؛ "موسمي" تعني أنها متواجدة بشكل موثوق خلال الأشهر المذكورة؛ أي شيء آخر فهو مكسب غير متوقع، وليس شيئًا يُعتمد عليه في التخطيط.
| الوجهة | الموثوقية | الأشهر | ملاحظات |
|---|---|---|---|
| CozumelMexico | Resident: seen on most dives | طوال العام | |
| Belize Barrier ReefBelize | Resident: seen on most dives | طوال العام | |
| Florida KeysUnited States | Resident: seen on most dives | طوال العام | |
| Grand CaymanCayman Islands | Resident: seen on most dives | طوال العام | |
| Nassau & New ProvidenceThe Bahamas | Resident: seen on most dives | طوال العام |
أفضل شهر، في لمحة
فهمها
الموئل: Reefs, ledges, mangrove channels, and seagrass flats; rests by day under overhangs, often in piles
النطاق: Tropical western Atlantic from Florida and the Bahamas to Brazil, plus the eastern Pacific coast of the Americas; the similar tawny nurse shark replaces it in the Indo-Pacific
السلوك: A sedentary, nocturnal bottom-dweller with barbels like a catfish and a tail that trails behind it lazily. Days are spent wedged beneath ledges, frequently stacked on other nurse sharks; nights are spent slurping prey out of holes. Habituated animals at feed sites become boldly food-focused.
النظام الغذائي: Crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish vacuumed off the bottom with a powerful suction feed you can sometimes hear
الحجم: عادةً حوالي 2.3 m; موثَّق حتى عمق 3.1 m (total length).
كيف تتصرف في حضوره
No tail-pulling, no riding, no lifting resting animals for photos: behavior once common and now rightly banned. Give resting sharks their ledge and keep bait well managed at feed sites.
الحفاظ على البيئة البحرية
Moved to Vulnerable in 2020 as inshore fishing and habitat loss eroded populations outside protected areas; still locally abundant in Florida, the Bahamas, and Belize.
المواقع المعروفة بها
المواقع المُبرزة رسَّمها محرّرونا لهذا النوع؛ والأرقام هي سجلات ظهور GBIF المُسجَّلة في نطاق نحو 5 كم من الموقع منذ عام 1990.
شاهد
من القنوات الرسمية
Wildlife of Monterey | New film in our auditorium
Live Aviary Cam | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Live Aviary Cam | Monterey Bay Aquarium
مقاطع الفيديو روابط مُضمَّنة لقنوات أصحابها. لا نستضيف شيئًا ونُشير إلى المصدر في كل الأحوال.