Category: Encyclopaedia

Bony fish named for their characteristic mode of predation, in which a fleshy growth from its head (the esca or illicium) acts as a lure.

Bar & restaurant near Rory’s house.
Shady characters known to frequent it.
Aunty Jo works there.

Bottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphin. They inhabit warm and temperate seas worldwide, being found everywhere except for the Arctic and Antarctic Circle regions.

The domestic guinea pig or simply guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family Suidae, nor do they come from Guinea in Africa. They originated in the Andes of South America; studies based on biochemistry and hybridization suggest they are domestic descendants of a closely related species of cavy such as C. tschudii, and therefore do not exist naturally in the wild.

Blue-ringed octopuses, comprising the genus Hapalochlaena, are four species of octopus that are found in tide pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, from Japan to Australia. They can be identified by their yellowish skin and characteristic blue and black rings that change colour dramatically when threatened. They eat small animals, including crabs, hermit crabs, shrimp, and other crustaceans.

They are recognised as one of the world’s most venomous marine animals. Despite their small size—12 to 20 cm (5 to 8 in) – and relatively docile nature, they are dangerous to humans if provoked and handled because of their venom which contains the powerful neurotoxin tetrodotoxin.

The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a species of large mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. The great white shark is notable for its size, with larger female individuals growing to 6.1 m (20 ft) in length and 1,950 kg (4,300 lb) in weight at maturity.

The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. The unicorn was depicted in ancient seals of the Indus Valley Civilisation and was mentioned by the ancient Greeks in accounts of natural history by various writers, including Ctesias, Strabo, Pliny the Younger, and Aelian.

A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft. Witchcraft or witchery broadly means the practice of and belief in magical skills and abilities.