Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus)
Grey Nurse, Sand Tiger or Spotted Ragged Tooth Shark, these sharks are the most popular elasmobranchs in the Aquarium World.
These sharks can be found in both the east and west coasts of Australia (as they are rare in the Northern Territory and Tasmania), the eastern seaboard of the USA and all the coastline of South Africa. The Grey Nurse shark was the first elasmobranch species to receive protection status when the New South Wales Government implement it in 1984.
Despite their fearsome appearance, these sharks are relatively placid in terms of behaviour making them the top shark to have in Aquaria.
They’re known to grow to a length of 318cm and have a annual migration in each country they're known to be at. The migration range is known to be more than 1000km. During this migration, the adults swim north to feed and mate before returning southward to pup in area known as nursing grounds.
Their favourite habitat are caves, overhangs and reefs shallower than 20 metres, they favour both temperate and tropical waters. On the ICUN Red list, they are classified as vulnerable globally; however on Australia’s East Coast they are listed as critically endangered as there are fewer than 1500 individuals.
To Be Continued.