Recent News
Restoration work to begin at AquariumMonday, August 28, 2017
Work to repair hurricane damage at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo from the past few years is due to begin on September 5 and will last about a month.
BAMZ: Restoration Work On Property Foreshore
Monday, August 28, 2017
The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo [BAMZ] have advised that work will soon begin to restore the property’s foreshore area on Tuesday, September 5 which has been damaged by hurricanes over the last few years.
BZS scholarships handed out
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Akinyi Apopa and Amber Reid are the winners of the Bermuda Zoological Society’s Steinhoff Scholarship for 2017.
Aming stars as Shark Week hits screens
Wednesday, August 09, 2017
Choy Aming’s phone started ringing the moment Shark Week hit Canadian television last month.
Rescued turtle returns to the open sea
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
A loggerhead turtle rescued by divers has been returned to the sea after nine months of care.
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All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!
By Owain Johnston-Barnes
Published Dec. 3, 2013 at 8:00 am (Updated Dec. 2, 2013 at 10:33 pm)
The yellowfin chromis, one of two species recently recognised
as being endemic to Bermuda by the Smithsonian Institution.
A pair of Bermuda fish species have been recognised by the Smithsonian Institution as being unique to Bermuda’s waters.
The yellowfin chromis and the Collette’s halfbeak have been classified as endemic to Bermuda in an update to the authoritative 1999 Fishes of Bermuda publication. Both species have been known in Bermuda’s waters for some time but were only recently determined to be endemic.
Report writers William Smith-Vaniz and Bruce Collette also identified differences between the endemic Bermuda creole wrasse and its Caribbean relatives, suggesting they may also prove to be endemic.
“We recently became aware of two colour photographs, one of a school and the other of a single individual ... of wrasses from Bermuda (Lucas 2012) identified as clepticus parrae,” the researchers wrote.
The Collette’s halfbeak, one of two species recently recognised as being endemic
to Bermuda by the Smithsonian Institution. ((Photo credit to Heidi M. Banford))
“Terminal phase adults are distinctive in having very elongate outer caudal-fin rays, mostly solid blue body and fins and a bright yellow snout. We predict that subsequent research will show these fish to be another Bermuda endemic. All records of clepticus parrae from Bermuda apparently are based on misidentification of this undescribed clepticus.”
They noted the terminal male yellowhead wrasse, called “Redbacks” locally, have different colouration than its counterparts elsewhere in the region.
The Smithsonian also listed several species not previously known to reside in Bermuda, such as the whitenose pipefish, the roughtail stingray, a deepwater opah and blackear wrasse.
A Bermuda Zoological Society spokeswoman said: “In all, 24 new records were listed, and five older records have been discounted as errors, reminding us that we still have much to discover about life on our reefs and that diligent citizen scientists, fishermen and naturalists all have key roles to play.”
The research paper is available at the Natural History Museum Library at the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo.