Which shark is commonly called the 'grey nurse' in Australia?

The shark commonly called the “grey nurse” in Australia is the sand tiger shark.

Its scientific name is Carcharias taurus. The same species is known as the ragged-tooth shark in South Africa and the sand tiger shark in much of the English-speaking world. Despite the “tiger” name, it is not closely related to the tiger shark; the name refers to its sandy habitat and formidable-looking teeth.

Grey nurse sharks are generally slow-moving and relatively placid. They often gather near rocky reefs, caves, sandy gutters and coastal islands, and can gulp air at the surface to help maintain buoyancy. Their long, protruding teeth make them look dangerous, but there have been no confirmed human fatalities attributed to the species.

A major conservation concern is its unusually slow reproduction. Females produce at most two pups, and embryos may consume their siblings in the womb, a behavior called intrauterine cannibalism. In eastern Australia, the grey nurse shark is critically endangered after historical spearfishing, fishing bycatch and shark-control programs.