California nurse shark (SciiFii)

The California nurse shark (Ginglymostoma californicus) is a species of elasmobranch fish in the family Ginglymostomatidae, most closely related to the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the Californian Great Barrier Reef to help boost biodiversity, although due to the California nurse shark's tolerance to freshwater, it is known to live and thrive in lakes and rivers throughout its life and is known to inhabit in freshwater habitats of Mexica and the United States. The California nurse shark has two rounded dorsal fins, rounded pectoral fins, an elongated caudal fin, and a broad head. The adult length is usually up to as much as 3.08 meters (10.1 feet) on average, although they occasionally can grow to the lengths of 4.5 meters (15 feet) and corresponding weights of up to 330 kg (730 lb). Adult California nurse sharks are brownish in color. Newly born California nurse sharks have a spotted coloration which fades with age and are about 30 centimeters in length when nascent. California nurse sharks are opportunistic predators that feed primarily on small fish (e.g. stingrays) and some invertebrates (e.g. crustaceans, molluscs, tunicates, aquatic insects, etc). They are typically solitary nocturnal animals, rifling through bottom sediments in search of food at night, but often gregarious during the day forming large sedentary groups. California nurse sharks are obligate suction feeders capable of generating suction forces that are among the highest recorded for any aquatic vertebrate to date. Although their small mouths may limit the size of prey, they can exhibit a suck-and-spit behavior and/or shake their head violently to reduce the size of food items. California nurse sharks are exceptionally sedentary unlike most other shark species. California nurse sharks show strong site fidelity (typical of reef sharks), and it is one of the few shark species known to exhibit mating site fidelity, as they will return to the same breeding grounds time and time again. California nurse sharks are an important species for shark research (predominantly in physiology). They are robust and able to tolerate capture, handling, and tagging extremely well. The conservation status of the California nurse shark is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the California nurse shark's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii