Nordicdragon's definitions

Emu

A giant, flightless bird native to Austrailia. European explorers first spotted the emu in 1696. Since then, they have become one of Australia's most famous species-and the continent's unofficial emblem. But don't underestimate the emu just because it looks like a comically overgrown turkey. It is a big bird and can grow as tall as 6.2 ft (1.9 m) and weigh around 110 ib. (50 kg). It is also powerful, exceptionally fast, and amazingly adaptable. While many of Australia's other flightless birds are struggling to cope with the modern world, the emu has survived and thrived.

1932 was the year of the Great Emu War. The Australian government sent troops into the outback to cull the rising numbers of emus because they were destroying farmers' crops.

by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018

Jawzahr

A dragon in Islamic mythology that is said to cause eclipses whenever he swallows the sun or moon.

Jawzahr made his first appearance in legends from Persia, which is modern-day Iran.

by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018

Gorynych

A Russian dragon that has three fire-spitting heads and seven tails. He walks on his two hind legs and has two small front legs, like a Tyrannosaurus Rex. His iron claws can slash through any shield or suit or armor.

Gorynych is featured in folktales and myths originating from Russia and Ukraine.

by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018

Spy-hopping

The behavior that great white sharks often use. It involves a shark popping its head above the water line to see what's going on.

Great white sharks are one of the few species of shark to do spy-hopping.

by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018

Barely legal

When you become a legal adult but are still not legal enough to do other things.

My son just turned 18. He was now a legal adult who could smoke, vote for president and watch NC-17 rated movies. But he was also Barely legal, meaning he's not legal enough to do other things like drink alcohol, enter clubs or even rent a car (those three things are only for those aged 21 and over).

by Nordicdragon July 3, 2018

Speculative Fiction

A genre of fiction that encompasses works with supernatural or futuristic elements.

The most notable genres of speculative fiction include fantasy, science fiction, horror, utopian, dystopian, alternate history, apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, superhero and supernatural

The word "speculative fiction" was coined by American sci-fi author Robert A. Heinlein

by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018

Platypus

A monotreme found that's found in eastern Australia and Tasmania. When the skin of a young platypus was sent to Britain for examination in 1798, scientists thought it was a fake. The zoologist George Shaw (1751-1813), who worked at the British museum, even checked it for stitches, believing that it had been sewn together from parts of other animals (you can still see the scissor marks that he made on the pelt today). However, these creatures have been proven to be real. With a beaver-like tail, duckbill, flippers, and spiky fur, these must surely win the award for being one of Australia's strangest creatures.

The platypus is one of the world's few poisonous mammals. When trouble strikes, it squirts venom out through a hollow spur on its ankle (only males carry poison and they're more likely to use it on other males during the breeding season than on people).

by Nordicdragon June 27, 2018