Appearance and lifestyle:
The sergeant majors (Abudefduf saxatilis) are small, oval damselfish. It has a grey body with a yellow dorsal area. Most notably, they have five vertical blue-black bars across their bodies. Most notably, they have five vertical blue-black bars across their bodies. Although they sometimes form schools, they pair up during breeding. Breeding pairs have a preferred territory and will fight other fish to protect it. Once the eggs have been laid, the male will remain to guard and aerate them - this fierce behaviour is where they get their name "sergeant major" as well as their scientific name Abudefdul, with "abu" meaning father or guardian in Arabic.
Habitat:
Juvenile sergeant majors are commonly found in tidal pools, while adults prefer rock and coral reefs on South Africa's Indian Ocean coasts. Globally, they occur throughout the Indo-Pacific, ranging from South Africa to the Red Sea, Japan and the Pitcairn Islands.
Diet:
They are omnivores and will opportunistically feed on algae and small invertebrates.
Threats:
Some of the threats faced by sergeant majors are habitat loss, pollution, climate change etc.