---
title: "Tawny Nurse Shark"
description: "Nebrius ferrugineus — Pesci. The tawny nurse shark (Nebrius ferrugineus) is a species of carpet shark in the family Ginglymostomatidae, and the only extant member of the genus Nebrius."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/tawny-nurse-shark
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Tawny Nurse Shark

> Nebrius ferrugineus — Pesci. The tawny nurse shark (Nebrius ferrugineus) is a species of carpet shark in the family Ginglymostomatidae, and the only extant member of the genus Nebrius.

- Scientific name: *Nebrius ferrugineus*
- Category: `fish` (Pesci)
- Habitats: `sea` (Mare e costa)
- iNaturalist observations: 1100
- Wikidata: [Q751258](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q751258)
- iNaturalist taxon: [49962](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/49962)

## Names

- en: Tawny Nurse Shark
- de: Indopazifischer Ammenhai
- es: Tiburón Nodriza Leonado
- fr: Requin-nourrice fauve
- nl: Geelbruine verpleegsterhaai

## Countries with the most observations

MV (371), AU (169), PF (81), FJ (60), SC (22), MH (21), NC (21), MP (15), ID (9), GU (6), PW (5), SB (5)

## Summary

The tawny nurse shark (Nebrius ferrugineus) is a species of carpet shark in the family Ginglymostomatidae, and the only extant member of the genus Nebrius.
It is found widely along coastlines in the Indo-Pacific, preferring reefs, sandy flats, and seagrass beds from very shallow water to a depth of 70 m (230 ft). With a cylindrical body and a broad, flattened head, the tawny nurse shark is quite similar in appearance to the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) of the Atlantic and East Pacific, from which it can be distinguished by its pointed-tipped dorsal fins and narrow, sickle-shaped pectoral fins. The maximum…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawny_nurse_shark

## Photo

![Tawny Nurse Shark](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/tawny-nurse-shark/medium.jpg)

Photo: Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/235687532

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/tawny-nurse-shark?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).