Recent News
Zoological Society To Host “Reef Watch” EventWednesday, May 27, 2015
Polar explorer and environmentalist, Robert Swan OBE, once said: “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
Francis Patton overjoyed with BZS link-up
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Teachers at Francis Patton are celebrating as they have received some very positive science results after tests sat by their Primary 6 students.
In the land of the lemur
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Lemurs look cute and fuzzy but being an expert on them is no picnic. Travis Steffens has trekked for miles across hostile terrain in blazing temperatures to find them.
New Tawny Frogmouth Chicks At BAMZ
Friday, May 08, 2015
The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo is now playing host to two new inhabitants, a pair of tawny frogmouth chicks born approximately one month ago to parents Kermit and Duane, inhabitants of the Australasia exhibit.
Zoological Society puts accent on history
Monday, April 27, 2015
“Educating tomorrow’s environmentalists,” is the mission of the Bermuda Zoological Society, and while impassioning and empowering students to protect and conserve the environment is important, it is equally important to the BZS to educate adults — especially those who are teaching the next generation. We desire to provide them with the understanding and skills to help them set an example of how to make a difference for our natural world
About
GovernanceAbout Us
Newsletter
Latest News
Gift & Bookstore
Contact
General Inquiries
info@bzs.bm
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.