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nurse shark
nurse shark Nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum).

nurse shark

fish family
Also known as: Ginglymostomatidae
Written by
Jeffrey Carrier
Dr. Jeffrey Carrier became a faculty member at Albion College in 1979 and retired in 2010. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Miami in 1974. Dr. Carrier also holds an appointment as an Adjunct...
Jeffrey Carrier
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

nurse shark, (family Ginglymostomatidae), common name for any shark in the family Ginglymostomatidae, which is made up of the genera Ginglymostoma, Nebrius, and Pseudoginglymostoma. In addition to the common Atlantic nurse shark (G. cirratum), the family includes the tawny nurse shark (N. ferrugineus) and the shorttail nurse shark (P. brevicaudatum). They are not related to the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus)—a type of sand shark inhabiting the waters above the continental shelves in most warm...

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