Page 119 - Caribbean Reef Life Demo

Damsel sh are highly territorial, maintaining small gardens of turf algae that they defend aggressively, pecking away at anything that gets too close to their food supply.
The Sergeant Major gets its name from the ve black body bars on its sides. Like all members of the damsel sh family they care for their eggs after they have been laid, usually in shallower water under ledges and overhangs. Males will sometimes take on a darker blue coloration while they tend these nests. A female can lay thousands of tiny purple eggs in a dense patch. The male then swims back and forth, chasing off scavengers looking for an easy meal. They swim close to the incubating eggs and wave their ns across them to keep them aerated, also inspecting and picking away the slow-growing or unhealthy eggs in the batch. This ensures that the rest have the best possible chance for survival. uvenile Sergeant Majors uickly develop the distinctive body bars.
294
O
(Abudefduf saxatilis) < 18 cm / 7 in
i e ide lac od ars ta erin to ards a hite ell . Bright yellow patch on upper body. Widely forked tail.