Recent News
Three Flippered Turtle Released Into The WildFriday, February 07, 2014
After over a year of recuperating at the Bermuda, Aquarium, Museum & Zoo [BAMZ] after losing a flipper, a green sea turtle was released into the wild recently, dropped off about five miles east of Bermuda.
Bermuda TV series gets the green light
Friday, January 31, 2014
A new television series showcasing Bermuda’s precious marine life has been given the green light.
Morning walk about at the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Lemurs are primates found only on the African island of Madagascar and some tiny neighboring islands. Because of its geographic isolation, Madagascar is home to many amazing animals found nowhere else on the Earth.
Service with a smile gets Peg ‘seal of approval’
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The best waitresses serve breakfast with a smile, no matter what, or who, they are serving.
Zoological Society receives a boost from the family of a man who worked there for 40 years
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Bermuda Zoological Society have been given a $2,000 boost thanks to the generosity of the family of the late Wakefield and Mildred Trott.
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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 Aug 9, 2013 at 8:00 am
A bird in the hand: Principal curator for the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, Dr Ian Walker
examines a Longtail that was found stranded on Horseshoe Beach last week. Dr. Walker (center)
is pictured with curator of BAMZ Patrick Talbot and Kamille Minors, a summer student who has
worked with BAMZ for many years and is studying to become a veterinary technician.
The Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) is calling for the public to look out for stranded Longtail chicks as the birds prepare for their first flights.
A spokeswoman said that during August and September Longtail chicks are sometimes found seemingly abandoned, either on land or floating in water, but often the “abandonment” is a normal part of their development.
“Nevertheless, the BAMZ would still encourage the public to bring in a bird they believe is abandoned so that technical staff can assess the animal,” the spokeswoman added.
Over the summer months, Longtail chicks go through a eight-to-ten-week fledging process, losing their down feathers and growing flight feathers.
During this process, Longtail parents feed the chicks until they are ‘supersized’. While an adult Longtail typically weighs between 350g and 400g, the fledglings can weigh as much as 600g.
“When the chicks are ready to leave the nest they stop eating, which is a signal to the parents to stop feeding,” she said.
“Hatching and fledging in a hole in a cliff restricts the young bird’s ability to exercise its wings and take practice flights as woodland birds or those that nest in the open might do. Therefore, a Longtail chick’s first flight presents an almost ‘do or die’ scenario for the chick.
“It is at this point the public sometimes bring in chicks because they think they have been abandoned. However, the chick is actually slowly losing weight and building up courage to fly. This process can take over a week, hence the seeming abandonment.
“During the summer boating season more people get out on the water and come across Longtails they believe are in trouble. So far this year [BAMZ] have received six Longtails — three adults and three chicks.”
Anyone who finds a Longtail (adult or chick) injured or compromised in some way is asked to contact BAMZ at 293-2727.