nurse shark

Definition of nurse shark

: any of various usually bottom-dwelling sharks (family Ginglymostomatidae) with barbels near the nostrils especially : a large yellowish to grayish brown shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) of warm usually shallow coastal waters that is typically nonaggressive and rests often in groups on the sea floor during the day

Examples of nurse shark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Once disturbed a nurse shark will bolt away, a dangerous predicament if a diver is in the way and gets pushed aside by an excited fish. — John Christopher Fine, sun-sentinel.com, "Boynton Beach diving: Underwater surprises await | Opinion," 31 Dec. 2020 Four shark species, included sandbar sharks, sand tiger sharks, lemon sharks and nurse sharks, can be spotted in the shark exhibit. — Kimi Robinson, azcentral, "Take a virtual tour of a Phoenix museum or other fun spots during COVID-19. Most are free," 8 Apr. 2020 The nurse shark rests below, and the osprey scouts from above. — National Geographic, "Discovering Glover's Reef," 19 Mar. 2020 Walker said this time of year, his charters generally see bull sharks, lemon sharks and nurse sharks, along with an occasional hammerhead. — USA TODAY, "Rock slides wreak havoc, close encounters with great white shark, gray whale: News from around our 50 states," 14 Feb. 2020 The experts at MarAlliance then surprised everyone with a stop at the local Caye Caulker Shark Ray Alley where everyone got the rare opportunity to swim with southern stingrays and nurse sharks. — National Geographic, "Ocean Activities," 10 Sep. 2019 Extending from tropical forests and marshes to coral reefs along the coast, the reserve counts sea turtles, crocodiles, jaguars, spider monkeys, manatees, nurse sharks, and flamingos as resident fauna. — George W. Stone, National Geographic, "Dinosaurs to gladiators: 10 World Heritage trips for families," 16 Aug. 2019 Holland says the nurse shark is known for two things: laziness and friendliness. — Rod Stafford Hagwood, sun-sentinel.com, "Shark Week can be an up-close thing at shark feeding in Key West," 26 July 2019 The trip is spent searching out tiger, hammerhead, reef and nurse sharks, so the fish can be tagged and released. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "Up-Close and Personal Shark Encounters that Shark Week Fans Can Safely Enjoy All Year," 24 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nurse shark.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Nurse shark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nurse%20shark. Accessed 25 Jan. 2021.

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