Nurse Shark

Diet
Though they are slower swimmers, they are quick hunters that will use suction to consume bottom-dwelling prey such as crustaceans, mollusks, stingrays, fishes, and invertebrates.

Habitat

Nurse sharks are frequently found on rock or coral reefs, and often rest in caves, nooks and crannies in the reef, or on the sandy ocean floor.

Many shark species are ram ventilators, meaning they have to move constantly to pass water over their gills and receive oxygen to their bloodstream. Nurse sharks, however, are capable of buccal pumping, meaning they can suck water over their gills while lying still - similar to how humans can draw air into our lungs without moving. This allows nurse sharks to spend most of the day inactive and resting, only hunting during the evening hours and at night. They are considered slower swimmers, except while hunting.

Reproductive Behavior
Sexual maturity for male sharks occurs at around 18 years, with females maturing at around 20-22 years old. They produce one litter every other year, with between 20-25 pups in a litter.

Relationship With Humans
Nurse sharks are usually docile and non-aggressive towards humans, though they may bite in self-defense when a human gets too close and startles them.

Concerns
Nurse sharks are hunted for meat, leather, and other products in certain countries along the western Atlantic. They will take bait and fish from traps, which leads some fishermen to kill them to save their catch. They end up as by-catch in the commercial fishery in U.S. waters, though they are released alive. Populations numbers are data deficient, but their numbers are decreasing as a result of overfishing.