| To see more photographs of the Grey Nurse
Shark (Carcharias taurus) click here.
Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus) or Sand
Tiger.
All images and text on this
page are copyright protected: © 2010 Kelvin Aitken.
All rights reserved. Students may use this information for
personal research only. Not for commercial use.
Based purely on its fearsome looks this shark was once blamed
for most shark attacks on humans and was hunted and fished
to near extinction. Today the docile Grey Nurse Shark enjoys
protected status in some Australian States. It is the first
shark in the world to be protected by law.
The small head of the Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus)
with small glowering eyes and needle-sharp snaggle teeth protruding
from a gaping mouth, is followed by an almost humped back
with similar-sized dorsal, pelvic and anal fins. Its dark
grey colour merges into pure white on the belly with small
coin-sized brown spots on the flanks. The face and tail, with
a long upper lobe, distinguish this species from others.
Habitat and Habits
Grey Nurse Sharks can be found from the surface down to 200
m deep around the entire Australian coastline except for Tasmania.
They are normally seen during the day in sheltered gutters
or caves where they hover almost motionless, a talent made
possible by their ability to swallow air at the surface which
counteracts the natural tendancy for all sharks to sink .
These sharks are quite sociable, often gathering together
in small to huge schools of mixed sex and size so closely
that they appear to be stacked like a cord of wood.
Their social and curious nature allows divers to make close
contact but they should never be cornered or harassed as they
will bite with lightening speed if threatened. From a motionless
hover they can accelerate instantly to catch fast-swimming
kingfish or salmon, so fast in fact that their tail creates
a cavity in the water causing a deep boom to be heard.
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