Catfish Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pike

Swiss mercenaries have served in the British, Dutch, Spanish and French armies over the years, but it is their skill with the long thrusting spear known as the pike for which they are remembered, particularly between 1250 and 1500.
The pike was used to devastating effect during the Battle of Nancy in 1477, when, at a time when infantry forces were normally overran by cavalry, the Swiss used the weapon to defeat the more powerfully armed troops of Charles the Bold of Burgundy.

The northern pike is an aggressive, often cannibalistic breed of fish found in brackish and fresh waters throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere. They can grow as large as 150 centimetres (59 inches) in length, but are still not recommended for use on the battlefield.

Answer: Sole

The sole, or to give it the correct name, the plantar aspect, is the base of the foot and is covered in sweat pores, which can give rise to the foot odour that so many of us are familiar with. Although if your feet do smell of fish it is perhaps worth seeing a doctor.

The sole is a bottom-feeding member of the flatfish family of fish, with the common or Dover sole being a regular feature on the menu of many eating establishments from the humble chip shop to fine dining restaurants.

Answer: Bass

The bass guitar looks very similar to a standard electric guitar but usually has a longer neck and most of the time just four strings as opposed to six. It is the lowest pitched member of the guitar family and was first mass produced by the Fender guitar company in 1951.

The fish known as the bass not only looks nothing like a guitar, it is pronounced differently as well, as b-ass rather than b-ace. There are many different types of bass, with the largemouth bass being the best known because it is the target of serious game anglers. Bass fishing is a multi-billion dollar industry, with competitions awarding prize money of over $100,000 (£71,000) regularly being held in North America.

Answer: Skate

Ice dancers, Torvill and Dean found their way into the hearts of millions of TV viewers when they performed their 1984 Olympic routine to the music of "Bolero" (1928) by Maurice Ravel. Just as impressed were the judges, who all scored the routine with a perfect score of 6.0 for artistic impression as well as giving them three 6.0s and six 5.9s for the technical merit of their program.

The skate is a member of the ray family of fish and usually found in deeper, colder water than stingrays. Their numbers are higher than those of stingrays, and they can be distinguished from the ray by the lack of a whip-like tail and stinging spines.

Answer: Jack Dempsey

Jack Dempsey was one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time and first won the world title in 1919 when he beat Jess Willard. He remained undefeated until 1926 when he lost to Tunney and after losing the rematch the following year, he retired from the sport.

The Jack Dempsey fish is an aggressive cichlid which takes its name from the famous boxer. It is usually found in freshwater habitats in Central and South America, but also makes an ideal aquarium fish, providing its tank mates don't mind its aggressive nature.

Answer: Dab

The origins of the dab as a dance move are quite obscure, with many people wishing to take credit, but some of the earliest examples include the character Gohan in the 1990s anime series "Dragon Ball Z" and Michael Jackson in the video to "Smooth Criminal" (1988).

The fish called the dab is a bottom feeder which is common in the North Sea. It resembles the plaice or the flounder and, as its numbers are so plentiful, it is being used by a growing number of fish restaurants as an alternative to cod or haddock.

Answer: Discus

The art of throwing the discus dates back to the fifth century, and today it is a track and field event undertaken by both sexes. Men throw a two kilogramme discus, while the women's discus is lighter at one kilogramme.

The discus fish is a South American cichlid which can grow up to eight inches long. They are quite popular with home aquarium owners, but are known for being very difficult to keep due to their need for specific water conditions.

Answer: Perch

A perch is the name given to a bar, often the branch of a tree, on which a bird stands. It is also another name for the historical unit of length, also called the rod, and is equivalent to 5.0292 metres.

The perch as a fish is a freshwater species found throughout most of the world. It is favoured by anglers as perch are known to be easy to catch with almost any kind of bait.

Answer: Mullet

The mullet is a hairstyle in which the hair is short and respectable at the front, but worn long at the back. Singer Billy Ray Cyrus, father to Miley, had probably the best known mullet, but wrestler Hulk Hogan and actor Patrick Swayze were both well known for their mullets too.

Mullets are found throughout the world, mainly in temperate or tropical waters and are well known for their ability to leap out of the water in an attempt to escape predators such as sharks and porpoises.

Answer: Hamlet

"Hamlet" (circa 1600) is probably Shakespeare's most famous play after "Romeo and Juliet" (1597). The play depicts Prince Hamlet's attempt to gain revenge against his uncle, Claudius who murdered Hamlet's father and then married his widowed mother to gain control of the Danish throne.

The hypoplectrus genus of fish are better known as hamlets and they are common in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, where they can be found in coral reefs. They come in a large variety of colours and seem to prefer to mate with other hamlet of a similar colour, which I find quite fascinating.