Nurse shark
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Sighting evidence at Pompidou, Guadeloupe
Photo: Rafael de la Parra · CC BY-NC
Nurse sharks are benthic predators that spend daylight hours resting in groups beneath ledges and on sandy patches, making Pompidou's protected terraces ideal daytime habitat. At night they hunt octopus, squid, and reef fish by using strong suction feeding — they can generate vacuum pressure sufficient to extract prey from crevices. Their presence in numbers at Pompidou reflects the reserve's no-take status: nurse sharks are highly susceptible to hook capture and disappear quickly from fished reefs.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Nurse shark is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.