Creature Feature – Xantic Sargo
This week features the letter ‘X’, and today’s spotlight is on the Xantic Sargo.
The Xantic Sargo is a sleek, mirror-like silver fish native to the coastal waters of California and Mexico. Recognizable by the bold, dark bar across their bodies, these fish sport compressed, oval-shaped bodies and forked tails that make them fast swimmers.
They’re often spotted in schools, though adults may also roam solo. Sargos prefer coastal habitats, such as rocky reefs, kelp beds, and sandy bottoms, and have also been known to live in areas of somewhat high salinity
Taxonomy
Scientific Name: Anisotremus davidsonii
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Haemulidae
Genus: Anisotremus
Xantic Sargo Fact File
Size: Typically, around 30 cm but can reach up to 60 cm
Distribution: Eastern Pacific Ocean, from Santa Cruz to Baja California, in shorelines and bays
Diet: These fish are bottom feeders and eat small shrimp, crabs, cams and sea snails
Behaviour: Sargo fish form large groups called schools. Young Sargo fish will quite often school with other fish such as black croaker. However, when they reach around a year old, they form adult Sargo schools
IUCN Status: Least Concern
