Recent News
‘Daisy’ on road to recovery after surgeryFriday, January 08, 2016
A loggerhead turtle that underwent a three-and-a-half-hour operation to remove a large rusting hook from her trachea is making a steady recovery.
Doctors fight to save turtle
Thursday, January 07, 2016
A seven-strong team of hospital doctors and marine experts worked around the clock to give a stricken loggerhead turtle a fighting chance of life.
Two BZS Lecture Series Installments Coming Up
Wednesday, January 06, 2016
The Bermuda Zoological Society is getting set to present two lectures in the coming months, including talks by Kimberley Zuill, Director of the Bermuda Weather Service, and Dr. Robbie Smith, Curator of the Bermuda National History Museum.
Marine turtles project gets charity donation
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Efforts to study and promote marine turtles have been boosted by a donation from Global Indemnity Reinsurance.
Teachers Discover What Trunk Island Can Offer
Thursday, November 19, 2015
The Bermuda Zoological Society [BZS] recently held professional development workshops for Primary, Middle and Senior school teachers, with the workshops focused on “Discovering Trunk Island and What it Has to Offer.”
The BZS has been running a campaign related to Trunk Island in Harrington Sound, with the BZS aiming to help provide classes that utilize the island as a “living classroom” to some 3,000 students.
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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.