nurse shark

American  

noun

1. any of several sharks of the family Orectolobidae, especially Ginglymostoma cirratum, occurring in shallow waters from Rhode Island to Brazil and the Gulf of California to Ecuador.

---

nurse shark British  

noun

1. any of various sharks of the family Orectolobidae, such as Ginglymostoma cirratum of the Atlantic Ocean, having an external groove on each side of the head between the mouth and nostril

---

Etymology

Origin of nurse shark

First recorded in 1850–55; allegedly so called because the male habitually hangs on to the female's fin with his teeth

Example Sentences

In 1984, she helped campaign to make the grey nurse shark the first protected shark species in the world.

From New York Times • Jul. 27, 2021

Atlantic nurse shark: The suction feeder gets shut-eye during the day and lies still while snoozing—making it the only shark species that shows multiple attributes of what the rest of the animal kingdom calls “sleep.”

From Scientific American • May 19, 2021

"It's the major antibody used in the nurse shark," Flajnik says.

From Science Magazine • May 10, 2018

We swam to a coral ledge where a nurse shark often lounges.

From Washington Post • Oct. 27, 2016

Mister Lochana said it was a nurse shark, and my mom grabbed me and held me so tight I couldn’t breathe, even though Mister Lochana promised us nurse sharks don’t bite.

From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender