nurse sharkn.
/ˈnəːs ˌʃɑːk/, U.S. /ˈnərs ˌʃɑrk/ A broad-headed brownish shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum (family Orectolobidae), of warm, mainly Atlantic waters, with barbels on the snout (more fully Atlantic nurse shark). Also (occasionally): a shark of a species related to this.The Atlantic nurse shark is now often placed in a family Ginglymostomatidae with two related genera.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > fish > subclass Elasmobranchii > order Pleurotremata > [noun] > family Orectolobidae > member of (carpet shark)
nurse1499
nurse-fish1682
zebra shark1804
nurse shark1851
wobbegong1852
sleeper1884
carpet shark1929
1851 P. H. Gosse Naturalist's Sojourn Jamaica 241 The nurse shark.
1879 G. B. Goode Catal. Coll. Animal Resources & Fisheries U.S.: Internat. Exhib. 1876 (Bull. U.S. National Mus. No. 14) 69 Ginglymostoma cirratum..Nurse Shark.—Tropical Atlantic.
1928 Sci. Monthly Aug. 129/1 The skin of the commonest species, the ‘gata’ (cat), or nurse shark, is the most valuable.
1961 E. S. Herald Living Fishes of World 23/2 The Atlantic nurse shark is not considered dangerous under normal circumstances; however, if molested it can become so.
1995 Diver Aug. 76/2 Another reason for the popularity of this pass are the shark caves overflowing with nurse sharks and reef sharks.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1851