Nature Vibes January 2022

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | WWW.NHMJ-IOJ.ORG.JM/ January 2022 NATURE Vol 1 Issue 21
VIBES

Natural History Museum of
Jamaica

Live Biodiversity Think Biodiversity Enjoy Biodiversity

Inside the Issue: ZOOLOGY JAMAICA
DEPARTMENT CLEARING HOUSE
BOTANY MECHANISM
DEPARTMENT
The JaCHM is an internal network that
The Botany Department manages the largest The Zoology Department manages a gathers and distributes information on
herbarium in the English speaking Caribbean collection of several faunal groups. The biological diversity in support of the United
region. The herbarium has a collection of over collection comprises 110,000 specimens of Nation Convention on Biological Diversity.
130,000 specimens of flowering plants, algae, animals with groups of insects, molluscs, Their main objectives include managing
fungi, lichens, mosses and ferns. The reptiles, amphibians and birds. The databases for publications, invasive species
department’s main objective is the preservation collections are used by local and and directory of environmental entities
and management of the collections. international researchers and also supports facilitating software such as GIS and
the division’s educational activities by providing public education and outreach
providing specimens for display to the services.
general public.

EDUCATION AND NHMJ SCIENCE
OUTREACH LIBRARY
DEPARTMENT

The Education Outreach Department’s main The Science Library that is located within the
responsibilities are to conduct public Natural History Museum. It is mandated to
awareness activities aimed at increasing stimulate one's interest in science. The Science
knowledge on Jamaica’s biodiversity, natural library houses a reference collection of over
resources and scientific development. 10,000 titles including rare publications on
Jamaica’s flora and fauna.There are also
drawings, paintings, maps and audio visual
materials in the collection.

Botany Department



"Whiteback"

Zemisia discolor which is commonly

known as Whiteback, is a Jamaica endemic

species from the Asteraceae

(Daisy/Sunflower) family. Formerly the

plant was placed in the genus Pentacalia,

Senecio and Cineraria with the same

species name discolor. The original species

Cineraria discolor was described by the

Swedish Botanist Olaf Peter Swartz in 1788.

Swartz visited Jamaica and Hispaniola in

the 1780s and collected thousands of plant

specimens. The name was changed to

Zemisia discolor in 2006 by another

Swedish Botanist Rune Bertil Nordenstam. Photographs of Zemisia discolor

The genus Zemisia is only found in Jamaica © Keron C. St. E. Campbell
and it has one species. The name Zemisia is
derived from 'zemis' which were The species name dis
color refers to the
representations made by Taino people in
the Greater Antilles which depicted one of contrast in color of the upper and lower
their gods named 'Zemi'. The genus is surfaces of the leaf with the adaxial
named in honour of the Taino peoples and surface green and hairless and the lower
their culture which is part of Jamaica’s surface whitish in colour from a thick layer
of hairs, which is also where the
vernacular name Whiteback is derived.

tangible and intangible history. Whiteback is a scrambling shrub that grow

up to 4 m high. Its leaves are alternately

arranged, with a petiole and narrowly oval

to lance-like in shape. The flower heads are

fragrant with cream to yellowish corollas

and yellow anthers and creamy white

styles. It generally flowers and fruits from

December through to August.

It is commonly found on roadside banks

and in thickets on well drained slopes up to

about 1000 m elevation.

Asprey and Thornton also documented

Whiteback’s use to treat colds, fevers,

stomach disorders and lame foot in

Photographs of Zemisia discolor Medicinal Plants of Jamaica Part III in 1955.

© Keron C. St. E. Campbell

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Zoology Department



"Meet the Black Widow Spider"

Black Widow Spiders, Latrodectus A bite from Black Widow may
species, given the notorious common produce severe muscle pain,
name Black Widow due to female’s abdominal cramps, excessive
propensity to eat the male after sweating, rapid heartbeat, and
mating, are typically shiny black muscle spasms. Symptoms usually
spiders distinguished by an hourglass- last for 3–7 days, but may persist for
shaped marking on the abdomen that several weeks. It is rare to be bitten
is usually red. The body of the female by a black widow as they are not
is about 2.5 cm long and the male is aggressive, only biting when startled,
about one-fourth the size of the threatened or cornered. Most bite
female. Black Widows are found victims recover without serious
throughout much of the world and complications however, a bite can be
are quite common in Jamaica fatal to very small children and the
although many Jamaicans are elderly.
unaware of this fact due the spider’s
reclusive nature. Two species are By Elizabeth Morrison, Zoologist,
recorded from Jamaica, Latrodectus NHMJ
mactans, The Black Widow and
Latrodectus geometricus, The Brown Black Widow Spider, Lactrodectus mactans with
Widow. egg case.
Latrodectrus spp. prefer to nest near
the ground in diverse areas including

scrub and brush, under rocks, and in
small holes and crevices. Indoor nests
are in dark, undisturbed places such
as under desks or furniture or behind
loose wooden floorboards. The web of
Black Widows consists of a loosely
organized mesh or cobweb in which
the female suspends her egg case. The
papery egg case is white or tan in
colour and may contain 250–750
eggs. The young spiders, or
spiderlings, emerge in 14 to 30 days.

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Education & Outreach Department

"A New Response to a New Paradigm"

The Education Department’s main responsibilities are to conduct public awareness activities
aimed at increasing knowledge on Jamaica’s biodiversity, natural resources and scientific
development. Due to the current pandemic brought about by Covid-19 our target audience is no
longer able to physically participate in our programmes. The department has since embarked on
an online initiative to facilitate engagement in a transformational manner. We see this as a way
for our participants and the public to remain engaged in our programmes, and acknowledge that
this will take collaboration with various individuals and entities across numerous ministries and
corporate bodies in order to achieve this goal. The positive side of having the programmes online
is that there is greater access across the island, from other Caribbean islands regionally as well
as from patrons internationally that are able to participate without the hassle of journeying
physically to the museum. There is however, one major limitation, in that, some persons who
would have otherwise visited our spaces may not be able to participate due to the lack of online
devices or internet availability at their residence.

With every crisis comes deep challenges and opportunities for transformation, here documented
are a few of the responses of the Education Department:

budget cuts Opportunities Afforded:
online fatigue

online access
curtailed due to greater reach nationally,
device and regionally and
internet internationally
challenges


increased diversifying of our cultural
ilesoalrantiinogn in offerings



increased engagement within
our target audience



growth of online patrons

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World Wetlands Day

The programmes that are held by the Over 600 persons participated at the World Wetlands Day: “Join
Natural History Museum of Jamaica include the W.A.V.E” live streaming on the Natural History Museum of
both in-house and outreach activities such Jamaica’s Youtube page during the month of February (2021)
as World Wetlands Day that is celebrated
on February 2 of each year. For this event,
the day is usually commemorated at the
Mason River Protected Area in Clarendon,
managed by the Museum and other
Agencies. Due to the pandemic, the
programme was moved to an online
platform and was conducted in webinar
fashion for persons to join. The webinars
were successful, though the transition was
entirely different and boasted participants
throughout Jamaica and internationally in
Canada and the United Kingdom. These
sessions can be viewed at the Natural
History Museum of Jamaica's Youtube page
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=cAhTD576i3g&list=UUPXc2_iI-Sr-
TbbblYZuZJA&index=46

Earth Day

There has also been the Earth Day Competition that is commemorated
on April 22 of each year and is usually in the form of an art
competition along with an Award Ceremony for the participants.
Sponsorships are usually sought for this event. This event had a
blended approach, in that though the submissions were physically
entered into the competition, the judging aspect was done online. The
virtual awards event was also successful and can be viewed on the
Natural History Museum of Jamaica’s Youtube page at
https://www.youtube.com/c/NaturalHistoryMuseumofJamaica

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An Afternoon with a Scientist Programme



Additionally, there is “An Afternoon with a Scientist Programme” that is held each month for
students of grades four to six at the primary school level. This is usually a face to face event
where schools would come to the museum for an informative, fun and interactive session with
scientists from various organizations. These have now been converted to a virtual, yet still fun
and interactive platform. These sessions can be viewed on the Natural History Museum of
Jamaica's Youtube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0EacHMeThE&t=32s

A session of An “Afternoon with a Scientist” commemoration “World Wildlife
Day” in March 2021 with over one hundred (100) participants

NHMJ Live! One of four sessions of the NHMJ Live! :
“Science Fun Zone” session held in November 2020
Due to the outbreak of the virus, new with over two hundred (200) participants participating
programmes have also been developed
such as the NHMJ Live! programme. This 5
is a hands-on interactive session with
our own scientists at the museum, who
facilitate craft activities along with short
child friendly presentations. This
programme is also facilitated online and
can be viewed on the Natural History
Museum of Jamaica’s Youtube page at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=QdrwhkkiUYA

Achievements, Since the Pandemic (March 2020)

Significant growth in online presence (Facebook 1.3K followers, Instagram 900+ followers,
YouTube 8K views, Twitter 500+ followers)

At beginning of the 2021 fiscal year, collective viewership from social media platforms of
archival material present stood at 35, 699 views
Increased NHMJ brand recognition

Increased awareness of the public on Jamaica’s natural heritage using multimodal
approaches:

18 Animation clips




2 Audiobooks




6 Learning Videos




4 Online Pre-recorded presentations


Numerous fact sheets

33 Promotional videos

posted online




Continued presence in print

The department will continue to meaningfully media, public
target our audiences with a diversified means
of engagement. The Museum has added to its

repertoire of activities to include animations,
video virtual tours, online flipbooks and audio 8 articles written or facilitated
books, virtual learning games and D.I.Y. videos publishing in the environment
to further stimulate and encourage the
awareness of Jamaica’s natural heritage and newspaper section
topical biodiversity issues. These can all be
accessed through the museum’s social media
pages.

6 Authors: Eartha Cole & Kareen Parks

Science Library
"A Unique Reference Collection"

The Natural History Museum of Jamaica (NHMJ) is a Division of the Institute of Jamaica and was
established in 1879 and serves as the storehouse of our natural heritage. The Science Library is
a special library located in the Natural History Museum of Jamaica Division and provides
information on Jamaica’s flora and fauna as well as Jamaica’s biodiversity. It is mandated to
stimulate an interest in science.
The NHMJ Science Library houses a reference collection of over 10, 000 titles including rare
publications on Jamaica’s natural history, flora and fauna. The Library is open to the general
public by appointment and we do accommodate walk-in as well. The facilities are often used
by researchers both local and international, students of secondary and tertiary institutions and
the research staff of the NHMJ.

The Science Library is an integral
part of the functions and
activities of the Natural History
Museum of Jamaica, being as it is
one of the main information
dissemination services for the
division.

Natural History Museum of Jamaica Science Library, The main aims and objectives of
the Science Library are:

Provide a wide array of
resource materials on the
natural history of Jamaica.

Provide scope to the
biodiversity issues.

Maintain an effective and
efficient collection of
resource materials on the
flora and fauna of Jamaica.

Reflect past and current
areas of biodiversity
research in its collection.

Photo by: Leleka Johnson 7

The Collections




The Science Library hosts a collection of varied materials; these are :
Open Shelf Books

Reference Collection
Special/Rare Books
Journals/Periodicals

Pamphlets
Newspaper clippings
Audiovisuals –DVDs, CD-ROMs, Slides

Photographs
Paintings/Drawings

Location & Hours The NHMJ
You can visit us Science
Library
at:
10-16 East Street catalogue is
also available
Kingston
online and
users can
search the
collection by
visiting the
NHMJ website
page and click
on Science
Library Online

Link

Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)
Photo by: Leleka Johnson

Telephone: (876) 922-0620-6 Ext. 244 or 237
Email: [email protected]

For inquiries, please contact the library between the hours of:
Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Library is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
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Jamaica Clearing House Mechanism
"Jamaica’s Forgotten Animal Species"

Several animals that were once found in Jamaica are now extinct, according to the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN defines extinction
as an irreversible process in which a species or distinct biological population ceases to exist. Species
such as the Caribbean Monk Seal and the Rice rat are two of those extinct species. There are additional
species that are presumed extinct but have not been officially deemed as such. Examples of these are
the Jamaican Petrel and Jamaican Pauraque, which were last seen in the 1800s, albeit a few scientists
hold optimism for their rediscovery.
Animal extinctions may be caused by natural occurrences such as cataclysmic natural disasters,
climate change, and changes in sea levels. In more current times, however, human activity is to be
blamed. Habitat destruction is one of the leading causes of modern extinctions, along with pollution,
the introduction of invasive alien species, and overfishing or hunting. Increasingly, climate change is
thought to be a primary driver of extinction.

Here are four incredible animals that are now extinct:
Caribbean Monk Seal (Neomonachus tropicalis)
Also known as the West Indian seal or sea wolf, it was a seal species native to the Caribbean. The main
predators of Caribbean monk seals were sharks and humans. Overhunting of the seals for oil and
overfishing of their food sources are the established reasons for the seals' extinction.

Jamaican Monkey (Xenothrix mcgregori)
An extinct species of New World monkeys that was endemic to Jamaica. Its bones were first
uncovered at Long Mile Cave by Harold Anthony in 1920. DNA extraction shows that the extinct
Jamaican monkey was most closely related to modern titi monkeys found across much of South
America.

Jamaican Rice Rat (Oryzomys antillarum)
An extinct rodent of Jamaica, O. antillarum is common in subfossil cave faunas and is also known
from three specimens collected live in the 19th century. The species is presumed to have become
extinct late in the 19th century due to the introduction of the small Asian mongoose, competition with
introduced rodents such as the brown rat, and habitat destruction.

Caribbean Emerald (Chlorostilbon elegans)
The Caribbean Emerald is an extinct species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. Its
nomenclature was described based on a single specimen taken from Jamaica in 1860. Except for the
type specimen, there are no records, and it is presumed extinct. While there is no information about
the exact cause of extinction, the likely reasons are deforestation or predation by introduced species.

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Nature Vibes

Produced by:
The Education Department
Natural History Museum of Jamaica
Institute of Jamaica
December 2021

Thanks to Our Contributors:
Elizabeth Morrison, Zoologist, NHMJ
Keron Campbell, Botanist, NHMJ
Eartha Cole, Education Outreach Officer, NHMJ
Kareen Parks, Assistant Education Outreach Officer, NHMJ
Shemere Lawes, Research Officer, Jamaica Clearing House
Mechanism, NHMJ
Leleka Johnson, Librarian NHMJ

Editors & Graphic Designs:
Kareen Parks, Assistant Education Outreach Officer, NHMJ
Teona Thomas, Museum Programme officer
Eartha Cole, Education Outreach Officer, NHMJ

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