The tawny nurse shark is a large brown shark that rests on the bottom by day and becomes active at night. It lives on coral and rocky reefs, in lagoons and over sand flats, and can grow to just over 3 m.
At a glance
Dhivehi name: Nidhan miyaru
Scientific name: Nebrius ferrugineus
Family: Ginglymostomatidae (nurse sharks)
Size: Just over 3 m at most
Found: Coral and rocky reefs, lagoons and sand flats, from the shoreline to at least 70 m
How to recognise it
The body is brown, from tan to dark grey-brown, and paler underneath. It has no ridges along the body. The tail fin is long, about 30 per cent of the shark's total length, and the pectoral, dorsal and anal fins have angular tips.
Habitat and behaviour
This shark lives in shallow water, from the tidal zone down to at least 70 m, staying close to the bottom. It is mainly active at night and often rests in caves or under overhangs during the day. It feeds on a variety of bottom-living invertebrates, corals and small fish. The young hatch from eggs inside the mother, with at least four in each uterus. The species is found across the Indo-Pacific.
Where to see it
The tawny nurse shark rests under overhangs by day, so divers usually find it on reef dives, and it is more active on night dives. Tawny nurse sharks have been photographed near Vaavu Atoll.
Did you know?
It is a tough, hardy shark that survives well in captivity. Four individuals, 134 to 226 cm long, were caught on hand line and longline during the reef fish resources survey.
Source: Fishes of the Maldives, Marine Research Centre (2003).