Recent News
Series celebrating marine life completedTuesday, March 22, 2016
The Ocean Vet series that has been three-and-a-half-years in the making and will highlight Bermuda’s natural treasures to millions globally is finally complete.
Career fuelled by passion for wildlife
Monday, March 07, 2016
Nesta Wellman’s passion for conservation and wildlife runs deep in his veins.
Lemur visits dentist for tooth troubles
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Saturday was not a typical day at the office for dentist Len Wedlich.
Daisy blossoming, thanks to surgery
Saturday, February 20, 2016
A loggerhead turtle that underwent life-saving surgery to remove a rusting hook that had became embedded in her throat has started to eat for herself.
BZS Lecture: “Ecology Of The Sargasso Sea”
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Dr. Robbie Smith, the Curator of the Bermuda Natural History Museum at BAMZ, will be presenting a lecture on the “Ecology of the Sargasso Sea” on Wednesday, February 24th at 7.00pm.
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Latest News
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.