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ANDY MURCH ELASMO GEEK

 

WHAT IS ELASMODIVER?

Not just a huge collection of Shark Pictures: Elasmodiver.com contains images of sharks, skates, rays, and a few chimaera's from around the world. Elasmodiver began as a simple web based shark field guide to help divers find the best places to encounter the different species of sharks and rays that live in shallow water but it has slowly evolved into a much larger project containing information on all aspects of shark diving and shark photography.

There are now more than 10,000 shark pictures  and sections on shark evolution, biology, and conservation. There is a large library of reviewed shark books, a constantly updated shark taxonomy page, a monster list of shark links, and deeper in the site there are numerous articles and stories about shark encounters. Elasmodiver is now so difficult to check for updates, that new information and pictures are listed on an Elasmodiver Updates Page that can be accessed here:

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Shark picture - green sawfish

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TAWNY NURSE SHARK

View all available shark and ray images in the Shark Pictures Database

Common Names: Tawny nurse shark, Nurse shark.

Latin Name: Nebrius ferrugineus.

Family: Rhincodontidae

Identification: Uniformly tan or gray body, paling slightly towards belly. Juveniles have small dark spots. Two sharply pointed dorsal fins of almost equal size close to tail. Pectoral fins falcate. Anal fin as large as second dorsal. Mouth close to tip of snout has a barbell on each side. Tail narrow with a large upper caudal lobe and no distinct lower lobe.

Size: 3.2m max. 40cm at birth.

Habitat: Found on rocky and coral reefs. From intertidal to 70m.

Distribution: From the Society Islands east to South Africa and the red sea across the indo Pacific to Australia.

Behavior: Nocturnal. Sleeps under overhangs of reefs during the day. Often found sleeping in small groups. At night forages for lobsters, crabs, octopus, and sea urchins etc. Returns to same area every morning to rest. Has a limited home range.

Reproduction: Ovoviviparous. Litter number up to 8.

Observations:

Photographs: Muirin Islands, Exmouth, Western Australia.

Similar species:

Reaction to divers: During day lies motionless unless closely harassed. Will bite if provoked. Nurse sharks are opportunistic and become regular visitors to shark feeds.

Diving logistics: The best encounters I have had with Tawny nurse sharks was at the Burma Banks during Silvertip shark feeds. I am interested in locations where this species is seen in large groups resting under ledges.

Other diving locations submitted by readers:

Further reading:

Reef Sharks and Rays of the World - Scott W. Michael.

Sharks and Rays - Elasmobranch Guide of the World. Ralf M. Hennemann. IKAN.

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