Recent News
Azu Beastro: Introducing Arugula and Chef Sam CrewWednesday, July 01, 2015
From the fresh local farm produce, to the fresh herbs being grown right on the café’s patio overlooking Harrington Sound, diners at the Azu Beastro are certain to be delighted with the delectable options being created by the restaurant’s new concession holder, Arugula.
The Trunk Island Campaign: Investing in the Future
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
It was once unusual for the formal education of children to occur anywhere besides within the four-walls of the classroom, but today, there is a broader view on how teaching should occur, taking into account the whole child and diverse learning needs.
Creating Innovative Classes to Enhance School Curriculum
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
There has been increasing interest in educational circles in developing interdisciplinary STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programmes that not only teach students about scientific method in the classroom, but also how it can be applied in real life experiences.
Curator’s Corner
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
Firstly, we’d like to thank you for your patience over the last several months. The replacement of the Aquarium roof has gone very well and we’re extraordinarily happy with the end product.
Scholarship recipient tracking Longtails
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
BZS/Steinhoff Scholarship recipient Miguel Mejias, a Biology student at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland, has been undertaking some very interesting and exciting research on White-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethon lepturus catesbyi), better known to most Bermudians as the “Longtail”.
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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.