The Wicked Smoocha: Anglerfish Break A World Record
5/7/202635 min
In the depths of the ocean, a tiny male anglerfish catches a scent and follows it through the darkness. Eventually he finds a glowing, toothy female with a bacterial lightbulb on her head. He kisses her… and never lets go. Their bodies permanently fuse, merging bloodstreams, flesh, and digestive tracts.
Radiolab correspondent Molly Webster brings us the wild story of this eternal kiss. We dive deeper into glowing lures, bioluminescent bacteria, and the biology of two creatures becoming one.
Plus, Alan tells us about the time he broke a world record, and marine biologist Dr. Kory Evans answers our questions about some of the weirdest fish in the sea.
Big thanks to Molly Webster for bringing us this story. Check out all of her Radiolab stories, but if you want one to start off with, listen to Goo and You about butterflies!
If you have something special you think you can hold a world record in, draw us a picture and email us at terrestrials@wnyc.org.
Terrestrials was created by Lulu Miller with WNYC studios. This episode was reported by Molly Webster and produced by Alan Goffinski with sound design by Mira Burt-Wintonick. Sarah Sandbach is our Executive Producer. Our team also includes Ana González, Tanya Chawla, Natalia Ramirez, and Joe Plourde. Fact checking by Emily Krieger.
HEY GROWN-UPS!
Love the show? Leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review on your podcast app—it helps curious listeners find us!
Terrestrials is made possible in part by listeners like you. Support the show by joining The Explorers Club —and we’ll send you a special puzzle as a thank-you gift from our team!
We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts about Terrestrials with us.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for bite-sized essays, activities, and ways to connect with the show.
Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for behind-the-scenes extras and more.
Listen to original music from Terrestrials on Spotify, Apple Music, or our music page.
Got a badgering question for the team? Email us at terrestrials@wnyc.org or submit a voice memo with your name, age, and your question using this form!
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsLulu Miller· Host0:00
[music] Hello, friends. Uh, the tree outside my window has just started to sprout its yellow flowers, uh, which can only mean one thing, that Mother's Day and Father's Day are coming up, and I just thought of a pretty funny, punny card. Okay, here it goes. It goes like this. There's a drawing of an owl, and it goes, "Hoo, hoo is the best parent?" And then you open the card and it goes, "You. Thank you for owl that you do." [laughs] Uh, so that, I'm g- I'm offering that to you. If anyone wants to draw that, make that, that's great. But I was also wondering what ideas for punny animal cards do you have that show love for the adults in your life? Maybe there's something in a sloth, like, "I love you more slowly than a sloth." That isn't really good. Maybe you have a better idea. Anyway, draw yours and email us at- T-E-R-R-E-S- T-R-I-A-L-S S-W-N-Y-C .org. And we will read some of our favorites on a future episode and post some to our Instagram to share your ideas so that other people can use them, too. Anyway, happy spring. Hope you're well.
Alan Goffinski· Co-host1:05
Send us your cards. [music] Oh, wait. You're listening [laughs] Okay. All right.
Lulu Miller· Host1:12
Okay.
Alan Goffinski· Co-host1:13
All right.
Lulu Miller· Host1:15
[clears throat] You're listening- You're listening- To Radiolab.
Speaker 21:18
For kids.
Alan Goffinski· Co-host1:19
Radiolab.
Lulu Miller· Host1:20
From...
Speaker 21:21
WNYC.
Lulu Miller· Host1:22
[giggles] Three,