Vulnerable· population decreasing· assessed 2021

Nurse shark

Ginglymostoma cirratum

Sighting evidence at South West Bay Reef, Corn Islands

The nurse shark is a slow-moving, bottom-dwelling predator that spends daylight hours wedged under coral ledges or lying in sandy channels. It uses barbels near its nostrils to sense crustaceans and small fish buried in sediment, then uses powerful suction to extract prey. Nurse sharks are non-aggressive but will bite if provoked; at South West Bay they are completely habituated to divers and provide exceptional close encounters.

Evidence at this site

1 record within 25 km

Confidence: low

Last confirmed Jan 2026

Seasonality

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How is this calculated?

Sighting evidence is compiled from iNaturalist observation records within a set proximity radius, filtered for quality-grade observations. “Last confirmed” is the date of the most recent research-grade record. Record count covers a rolling 24-month window. Confidence reflects record count, recency, and consistency of seasonal signal.

Nurse shark

Evidence at this site

Seasonality

Also seen at other sites