Recent News

Colourful Madagascar reptiles hatch in Bermuda
Thursday, May 22, 2014

Two newly-born colourful lizards that are a threatened species due to the reptile trade are settling into their new home at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ).


Bermudian to play a role in ocean plastics research mission
Monday, May 19, 2014

Marine research crews aboard the Sea Dragon, a 72ft expedition ship, departed Bermuda on Saturday for an eight-day voyage into the Sargasso Sea hoping to learn more about how plastics are distributed throughout ocean depths.


No evidence pesticides are killing Island’s toads
Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Vehicle emissions and other pollutants are partly to blame for falling amphibian numbers in Bermuda, according to an expert.


Reefs in fairly good condition, but report highlights some concerns
Monday, May 12, 2014

Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) has officially presented its 2013 Reef Watch report to Government, containing data recently gathered on the health of the Island’s reefs.


BZS Reef Watch Report Presented To Ministers
Thursday, May 08, 2014

The Bermuda Zoological Society has officially presented the 2013 Reef Watch Report to Trevor Moniz, Minister for Health & Environment and Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, Minister of Public Works.



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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!

Parrotfish Checkup
Bermuda Zoological Society
Wednesday, May 02, 2018

Excerpt from WILD News April 2018

When new fish arrive at BAMZ, they must first undergo a minimum of 30 days quarantine in order to diagnose any marine parasites which, if left untreated, can infect the other inhabitants of the aquarium hall tanks.

On Thursday, 22nd March, Patrick Talbot, Curator of the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, with the assistance of Marine Collector, Jorge Sanchez, conducted the examination of the quarantined blue parrotfish, queen parrotfish, and rainbow parrotfish before their transfer into the display tanks.


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Blue parrotfish going under anesthetic
 

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Blue parrotfish being removed from anesthetic

Before each fish was examined, they were first anesthetized in a solution rendering them unconscious and insensible to any pain. The length of time it took for each fish to go to sleep, was also the approximate amount of time it would remain sedated, giving Mr. Talbot an idea of how much time he had to take samples from the fish.


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Blue parrotfish having its gills clipped
 

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Queen parrotfish going under anesthetic

Each fish went through the same procedure; after sedation, they were removed from the water and placed on a cushion wrapped in plastic. Mr. Talbot quickly took a scale scrape, and a gill clipping - basically taking a sample of the skin mucous covering the scales and a tiny gill biopsy. The fish was then placed in a tub of fresh water, and Mr. Sanchez bubbled oxygen in the water surrounding the gills. The fresh water acted as final medication of sorts, as it would kill most external parasites (should there be any) and the bubbled gas helped ensure the fish had oxygen during its recovery from the anesthetic. After a few minutes, the animal was responsive and returned to a separate tank to await results of the procedure.

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Rainbow parrotfish being measured
 

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Mr. Sanchez running oxygen over the Rainbow parrotfish gills to aid in its recovery from the anesthetic
 

Once all the fish were sampled, Mr. Talbot took the scale scrapings and the gill clippings into the laboratory to be examined under a microscope for parasites infections, such as protozoa. If a parasite was found on either sample, the fish would have to go through another two weeks of quarantine and further treatment.

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Gill clippings on a slide ready to be examined under a microscope
 

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Gill clippings being examined
 

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400x magnification of gill clippings
 

Thankfully, upon completion of the examination, all three fish were parasite free and received a clean bill of health. The queen and blue parrotfish were placed in the parrotfish habitat in the Aquarium Hall, and the rainbow parrotfish was placed in the North Rock habitat.

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Rainbow parrotfish in the North Rock habitat
 

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Queen parrotfish in the parrotfish habitat