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The Scrunkly - Blog Posts
NURSE SHARK AAAAAAA
A Nice Nurse Shark
Requested by @internetdog06
Yes, it’s true! Sharks can be smooth! The nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) defies many shark stereotypes, from their appearance to their demeanor and, yes, the texture of their skin. Although they have a bad reputation among divers for their bite, these sharks are more often slow, shy, and skittish. These traits, combined with its distinctive whiskers, give rise to its other common name: the cat shark.
G. cirratum resides in warm shallow waters, including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, and cliff edges. They can be found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean along the coasts of North America, Central America, South America, and West Africa. Wherever they live they are bottom dwellers; they spend most of their days swimming slowly along the ocean floor or lounging near the reefs. Another stereotype broken: nurse sharks do not need to move continuously to breathe.
Despite their shy nature, the nurse shark’s size can make it an intimidating threat to any other fish– or people– that happen to spot it. G. cirratum can be between 3 and 4.5m long and can weigh up to 115 kg. And, yes, their skin is smooth, more like a dolphin’s than a shark’s. Their mouths don’t resemble that of other shark either, lacking the distinctive large, triangular teeth. Rather, they have several rows of smaller fan-shaped serrated teeth in a small, round mouth; best for crushing shellfish and coral. They also make for good defense, primarily against other sharks, curious humans, and occasionally American Alligators.
These sharks are suction feeders, and are able to draw invertebrates and small fish into their mouths from up to 3 cm away. They hunt mainly at night, swimmingly slowly along the ocean floor in search of food. During the day return to a home area to rest with other nurse sharks. Within these groups, also called shivers, they communicate mainly using sound, touch, and electroreception. Their distinctive ‘mustaches’ may be used for the latter two senses, forming a similar role to a cat’s whiskers.
Nurse sharks are territorial, both in their daily resting places and their mating sites. Individuals will return every summer to the same area to reproduce. Males and females with both mate with multiple partners, although males are known to ‘flush out’ competing sperm before copulation to ensure their genetics are the ones passed on, although litters with multiple paternities are common. Males also reinforce social hierarchies by biting both other males and females, which they reinforce within their day-to-day groups. G. cirratum is an ovoviviparous species which means the eggs hatch within the mother, and she give slive birth to about 20 pups after a 5 to 6 month pregnancy. Young cat sharks are spotted, and only grow into their brown coloring when they reach sexual maturity, at around 10 to 20 years old.
Conservation status: The IUCN lists the Nurse Shark as Vunerable. Historically they have been captured for their fins, skin and meat, as well as for the aquarium trade. They are also caught as by-catch in fishing nets. However, the species has several protected habitats along the North and Central American Atlantic coast and is currently being evaluated to better protect its migratory pathways.
Photos
Tchami
Gary Rinaldi
Kent Miller
📺 Crappy Mr Puzzles doodles be upon ye
(cuz I definitely don't have an important assignment to do)
[Image description: pencil and pen drawings of Ghost, Hornet, and The Hollow Knight from Hollow Knight. Some of the drawings are set before the game's story, while some are set during or after. Many of the drawings are of the characters spending time together as siblings. End image description]
the videos game characters™
the machinations of my mind are an enigma...
also image version because i love this thing
Anyways take this random effort at human-ising my gruntsona/madcom oc dummmy
(character prns : It/its, but i've heard some ppl are uncomfy using those so they/them is fine as well)
stan the scrunkly <3
Finally came back to tumblr after like.....idk how many years
Here's redvelvet cookie with cake hound 💕
Two stars looking at each other
characters I think are scrunkly/silly <3
Four from BFB
Wander from Wander Over Yonder
Grover Fischoeder from Bob's Burgers I miggghhhttt update this later, idk
here's a cute a little au I came up with hehe :)
he still shows to be my favourite, he's just the silly
A lil guy
HEY IT'S UUUUUHHH A LITTLE GUY
King Aldebaran from Feast For A King by @kosmicdream. Go read it why haven't you read it.
baikal seals look like if you do so much as breathe a single molecule on them theyll disintegrate into a small puddle of tears
they look like they make the laminated sheet wobble sound unprompted and constantly
Who want to see a tiny cat with big sad eyes
facebook group I follow just dropped the wettest-eyed autism creature I’ve seen in a while
This is literally my first original post on tumblr after 5 years of use. 20k reblogs, and (1) picture of my cat in a scarf. Appreciate her.
This just made my day :DDDD gonna hang it on the (metaphorical) fridge
For doodle requests: we need more Jon with cats. Please
[ID: A two-panel pencil doodle comic of Jonathan Sims and The Admiral. Jon says "Good little man" and places his face in The Admiral's fluffy neck with a "fwumf". The Admiral meows happily and hearts surround the two of them. end ID]
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admiral fluffy. that's free real estate for a cold nose
