Is a nurse shark a mammal?
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Is a nurse shark a mammal?
No, sharks are not mammals. All species of sharks are classified as fish. Sharks do not have mammary glands, and do not feed their young, so are therefore disqualified from being named mammals.
What type of animal is the GREY nurse shark?
sand tiger shark
The Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus) also known as the sand tiger shark or spotted ragged-tooth shark, is one of four species belonging to the family Odontaspididae. The species has a large, rather stout body and is coloured grey to grey-brown dorsally, with a paler off white under belly.
What type of animal is a shark?
fish
Sharks are a special type of fish known because their body is made out of cartilage instead of bones like other fish. The classification of this type of fish is “elasmobranch.” This category also includes rays, sawfish, and skates.
What family is the nurse shark in?
Nurse sharks
Nurse shark/Family
What color is a nurse shark?
Adult nurse sharks generally range from light tan to dark brown in color. Juveniles up to 55 cm (22 in) have small black spots, with an area of lighter pigmentation surrounding each spot, covering the entire body. These are bands of lighter and darker pigmentation along the dorsal surface.
What classifies a mammal?
The characteristics that make a mammal a mammal include pres- ence of hair or fur, warm-blooded, young born alive, mammary glands and complex brain.
Why is the GREY nurse shark a keystone species?
As apex predators, they play an important role in maintaining a healthy balance in the Australian marine ecosystem. They do this by eating almost any kind of fish, crustacean, other sharks, rays, and squid.
Do Nurse sharks have predators?
Predators. There are no species that regularly hunt nurse sharks. However, they are occasionally preyed upon by larger fish such as tiger sharks and lemon sharks.
What is a fish a mammal?
Fish are not mammals because most of them are not warmblooded, though some sharks and species of tuna are exceptions. They do not have limbs, fingers, toes, fur, or hair, and most of them can’t breathe air, though the lungfish and the snakehead are also exceptions.
What color is nurse sharks?
Do GREY nurse sharks lay eggs?
The breeding of Grey Nurse Sharks is quite unusual. Towards the end of the gestation period, the more fully developed embryos eat the less developed embryos and unfertilised eggs within the female shark’s uterus. As a result, only two pups are produced per litter – one in each uterus.
What kind of shark is a grey nurse shark?
The grey nurse shark, Carcharias taurus, also called the sand tiger shark or ragged-tooth shark, is an elasmobranch and belongs to the carpet shark family.
What is the name of the nurse shark in Australia?
The name Grey nurse shark is used in both Australia and the United Kingdom. It is the second-most-used name for the shark. The Grey nurse shark belongs to the family Odontaspidae (sand tiger family), which comprises some 5 species.
How many people have been killed by grey nurse sharks?
There appears to have been no fatalities from Grey nurse shark attacks. Grey nurse sharks, with their large teeth, have a ferocious look about them. They were long considered man-eaters and were hunted to near extinction. They have since been given some protection via legislation and marine protected areas.
What is the name of the slow moving nurse shark?
This slow-moving bottom dweller is known for its docile nature and adaptation to captivity. It is a different species from the grey nurse shark (one of the names for the sand tiger shark, Carcharias taurus) and the tawny nurse shark (Nebrius ferrugineus, another type of carpet shark).