Tawny nurse shark  (Nebrius ferrugineus)

The tawny nurse shark is widely distributed across the Indian and west and central Pacific Oceans (1), ranging from the Red Sea and East Africa to southern Japan, south through Indonesia to Australia (2) (5).

This is a continental and insular shelf species restricted to a narrow band of shallow water from intertidal waters to depths of up to 70 m (1) (2) (4). The tawny nurse shark lives on or near the bottom in lagoons, or close to coral and rocky reefs (2). Like other nurse sharks, this species uses crevices and caves for shelter (5).