[7] Also present on the lower jaw are two fleshy barbels, chemosensory organs which help the nurse sharks find prey hidden in the sediments.

Behind each eye is a very small, circular opening called a spiracle, part of the shark's respiratory system.

Nurse sharks are nocturnal animals, spending the day in large inactive groups of up to 40 individuals.

Hidden under submerged ledges or in crevices within the reef, the nurse sharks seem to prefer specific haunts and will return to them every day.

The young nurse sharks are born fully developed at about 30 cm long in Ginglymostoma cirratum.