 The tawny nurse shark grows to a maximum length of 3 @.@ 2 m ( 10 ft ) . It has a robust , cylindrical body with a broadly rounded and flattened head . The eyes are small and face laterally , with prominent ridges over them and smaller spiracles behind . There are a pair of long , slender <unk> in front of the nostrils . The mouth is small , with the lower lip divided into three lobes . There are 29 – 33 tooth rows in the upper jaw and 26 – 28 tooth rows in the lower jaw , arranged in an <unk> ( overlapping ) pattern with the outermost 2 – 4 functional rows separated from the rest by a narrow space . Each tooth resembles a fan , with a broad base rising to a small , sharp central point flanked by 3 or more smaller <unk> on both sides . As the shark ages , the teeth become relatively taller and thicker . The fourth and fifth pairs of gill slits are placed much closer together than the others . 
