How to Identify Blackbar Soldierfish

Video Transcript

"The fish that we are going identify now is the Blackbar Soldierfish. The Blackbar Soldierfish is a member of the squirrelfish family. Most fishes in the squirrelfish family are reddish in color and have large eyes. The Blackbar Soldierfish is no exception to this. What makes the Blackbar Soldierfish distinctive is a single black bar found just behind its head making it look like a shoulder stripe on a soldier. They are also usually a bright red color and rarely a pale red unlike other squirrelfishes. They have large dark eyes which are necessary for them to see well at night when they are most active. During the day, most Blackbar Soldierfish can often be seen hanging out in cracks and crevices of the reef, in caves and in the shade under coral ledges. Blackbar Soldierfish are schooling fish, and usually found in small groups. They will watch divers cautiously but will quickly dart into a hole in the reef if they feel threatened. If you get close enough to a Blackbar Soldierfish, you will also note that the leading edge of most of their fins, have a thin white line of color. Blackbar Soldierfish are usually three to six inches in length. That's the Blackbar Soldierfish."