22nd edition of Marine Life monthly post. Marine Life post published every 19th of the month. It aims to share information on marine life species and to promote their conservation.

The Nurse sharks are a common sight when scuba diving in Ambergris Caye (Belize). They usually swim in a group and a chance to meet two or more nurse sharks at the same time is higher. Two or three sharks, face to face? No worries, Nurse sharks are not sharks species to be afraid of. Their mouth and teeth are small and their diet is not human. They feed by sucking their prey. The Nurse sharks are shy. They will not attack humans unless they are provoked. Human provocation here could be like having bleeding fish with you (spearfishing), feeding and touching the sharks.

The Nurse sharks in Belize are protected, and its population is regularly monitored. I thought most sharks are migratory fish, but not the Nurse sharks. These sharks are non-migratory. Thus you can see them all year round in Belize.

As a bottom-dwelling shark, the Nurse shark is usually staying close to the ground and swimming close to the reefs. Following is a video of how a nurse shark swims.

What do you think of the Nurse shark? Do you think they are harmless to humans?