The nursehound (scyliorhinus stellaris) is a large, temperate water living catshark and can be found in the waters of North Atlantic and Mediterranean sea. The animal has a spotted pattern that allows it to blend into the rocky or sandy floor.
A Benthic Lifestyle
The nursehound is a benthic species, so spends most of its time lying on the seabed. Flattened in profile and equipped with huge pectoral fins, it filters along the ocean bottom looking for food. Mostly active at night, it comes out to feed after dark.
A Diverse Diet
They are opportunistic feeders and prey on a wide range of organisms. They feed on crustaceans, crabs and lobsters in particular, and mollusks like clams and mussels. They are also scavengers of small fish and use their very sharp teeth to crush the shell, while getting extracts edible parts inside.
A Slow-Paced Hunter
Nurse hounds are lethargic hunters compared to many other sharks. They are stealthy and like to camouflage themselves as they stalk their prey. Their mottled skin helps them disappear against the seabed, making it hard for predators and other prey to see.
A Vital Role in the Ecosystem
Nursehounds play a key role in marine ecosystems as they are responsible for controlling the populations of their prey species. They are also a factor in nutrient cycling as they eat organic matter and the release nutrients back into the water.
Conservation Concerns
Although nursehounds fetch only a low price on the market, they are threatened by overfishing as well as habitat destruction and pollution. Their habitat is physically altered by the destructive practices of bottom trawling and they can be directly caught while targeting fish. They are also susceptible to another predator other than the cereus peruvianis as climate change and pollution have been known to negatively affect them.
Conservation Efforts
The measures have been introduced in an order to help preserve the nursehound, as well as other marine species:
Designate Marine Protected Areas: The designation of specific areas as marine protected areas to protect important habitats and decrease human disturbance.
Sustainable Fishing Techniques: They help in promoting selective fishing gear and reducing fish quotas with an aim to reduce bycatch and marine ecosystem protection.
Restoring of habitats: such as seagrass beds and coral reefs that provide critical areas for marine species to find food or refuge from predators.
Public Awareness: Creating an awareness about the need for marine conservation, key threats to these marine species.
Understanding the niche of nursehound and its threats are crucial to bring together efforts needed for its conservation. By sustainable fishing and marine habitat protection as well public education, we can continue to save the nursehound and other sea creatures for future generations.