1 September: Trout

The French Revolutionary Calendar celebrated Trout on 1 September. Here are ten things you might not know about trout.

1. Humans have been fishing for trout for at least a couple of thousand years. The first person to write about trout fishing was Claudius Aelianus in 200AD. He described fishermen using flies to catch them in Macedonia.
2. The earliest known writings about how to fish for trout was written in the 15th century by an Austrian priest called Leonardus Haslinger, who jotted down some fly fishing techniques in the back of his prayer book.
3. There are about 50 sub-species of the brown trout.
4. Their eyesight is excellent. They are able to focus their eyes in several directions at once, which may be one reason they can be a challenge for anglers.
5. The trout's diet consists of insects, fish, leeches and worms. They've even been known to eat Frogs and mice. Anything they can find, basically. They spend 80% of their time foraging for food.
6. Newly hatched trout are known as fingerlings.
7. As food, they are classified as oily fish. They are rich in protein and a good source of vitamins B1, B6, B3, B12 and D. They also contain essential minerals such as Potassium, manganese and selenium.
8. You can tell how old a trout is by counting the rings on their scales, as new growth is added around the edges.
9. A trout has almost twice as many chromosomes as we do (we have 23, a trout has 40).
10. The most recent biggest trout ever caught record I found was from 2013 - it weighed 42lb 1oz and was caught in New Zealand by Otwin Kandolf.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

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