Recent News
Oceans Day hailed a successTuesday, June 10, 2014
More than one thousand people helped celebrate Saturday’s World Oceans Day the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) — many of them schoolchildren.
Over 1,100 Attend BAMZ Ocean Open House
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
The Bermuda Zoological Society and the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo said they would like to express their gratitude to the many different organisations that participated in the World Oceans Day Open House held on Saturday [June 7] at BAMZ.
BAMZ highlights our connections to the sea on World Oceans Day
Monday, June 09, 2014
The Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo celebrated World Oceans Day on Saturday, by putting on a host of activities highlighting Bermuda’s connection to the sea.
Citizen scientists needed for Reef Watch 2014
Thursday, June 05, 2014
Doing your part to help protect Bermuda’s coral reefs has never been easier and on Saturday, June 28, the Bermuda Zoological Society, with the support of lead sponsor Hiscox, will host Reef Watch 2014, a community environmental monitoring project that examines the health of Bermuda’s coral reef systems.
Celebrate World Oceans Day!
Thursday, June 05, 2014
From the tiniest of tots to seniors, and everyone in between — all are invited to come and celebrate World Oceans Day at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo on Saturday.
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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.