You better get a better Dictionary - maybe an Australian heritage
dictionary may be better ;-)
The 2 fish mentionaed have at times been called "barramundi" but only by a
minority and often because of Aboriginal connotations. Apparently the term
refers to the "large scales" that the 2 Saratogas (Scleropages spp.) and
Lungfish share with the fish that has common acceptance of the name
Barramundi here in Oz.
That fish is the Giant Perch or Palmer (Lates calcarifer) - one of the best
sporting and eating fish found here in the northern half of the continent
(and not too shabby to eat either). One of the interesting things about
it's biology is that they all start life as males and turn into females ,
perhaps as part of a "maturing" process, so all the big fish of this
species are females. Also they seem equally at home in fresh, brackish or
marine conditions. Anyone with any insight at all already realises it is a
"women's world", that women already rule the world where it really counts,
that they really are "bigger, meaner, more ruthless and more powerful and
are designed better for survival" than us poor, pathetic men with our
insecure and infantile egos ;-)
Consequently the ladies on the list have adopted the barramundi as their
symbolic "Ozfish" as they identify with it as "Queen of the habitat". Of
course they also realise (I hope) that great big fat female Barramundi are
the favourite food of the Estuarine Crocodile which still clings to male
supremacy in the "battle of the sexes" ;-)
Regards,
Bruce.
Bruce Hansen, ANGFA, caring for our aquatic ecosystems.
Please visit us at http://www.ozemail.com.au/~fisher/angfa.htm
----------
> From: James Capelle <jcapelle at gte.net>
> To: rainbowfish at pcug.org.au
> Subject: Re: [RML] SPAM Weather
> Date: Monday, 23 February 1998 2:00
>
> Rhonda,
> I wonder what implications your making when you say," one of us big
barramundi"?
> I did look up the dictionary meaning for the word and I didn't place
anyone I know
> or know of in that class. From The American Heritage Dictionary of 1975
the
> meaning of the word barramundi is; "Any of the several Australian food
fish, such
> as the river fish Scleropages leichhardtdii or the lungfish
Neocereratodus
> forsteri". Now I ve always (and I ve never(I don't think)have met you
face to
> face) placed you high on the food chain on all the lists that I know you
from. I
> think another fish may have been a better one to ID with, maybe a King
Barracuda (
> female one of course). JiM C.
>
> Rhonda Wilson wrote:
>
> > Jim,
> >
> > > Well C. Shamsid-Deen(I don't know if you are a MR or MS. What does
C. stand
> > > for?)
> >
> > Carvi is one of us big barramundi. Watch out guys we are taking over.
:)
> >
> > Rhonda
> >
> > Rhonda Wilson
> > Home http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/RhondaWilson/
> > ALA, Convention April 24-26 http://petsforum.com/ala/
> > PGI http://petsforum.com/, http://www.csi.com/pets/
>
>
>