- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold nurse shark, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the nurse shark
The nurse shark is a robust, bottom-dwelling shark of tropical and subtropical coastal waters in the eastern and western Atlantic and the eastern Pacific. Adults are brownish, with two rounded dorsal fins and a broad head, and the documented maximum length is 3.08 m. It rests in crevices and under ledges by day, then forages on the seabed at night, eating small fish, crustaceans, molluscs, sea urchins and some algae. Unlike most sharks it is exceptionally sedentary and shows strong site fidelity. It is an obligate suction feeder, producing suction forces among the highest recorded for any aquatic vertebrate, and gives birth to live young.
Nurse Shark facts
- Newborns are spotted, about 30 cm long, and the spots fade with age.
- It is one of the few sharks known to return to the same mating sites repeatedly.
- Its suction feeding force is among the highest recorded for any aquatic vertebrate.
- A brood of pups was found to have 14 genotypes, showing multiple fathers.
Where to see nurse shark in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 3 zoos holding nurse shark by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
California· 1
Louisiana· 1
Missouri· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
