Why The Internet Was Captivated By A Hideous Fish
7:52 minutes
Last week, a viral video likely floated to the top of your feed: a rare black seadevil anglerfish, which looks like a floating head with a frightening amount of teeth and two cloudy eyes, swimming in azure waters. The fish showed up near Spain’s Canary Islands, off the northwestern coast of Africa. It made the news because it was spotted near the surface, while anglerfish normally reside in the deep ocean.
So why was she paddling so close to the surface? Was she sick? How unusual is this? And also, why do they even look like that? We had questions.
Host Flora Lichtman talks with Dr. Kory Evans, assistant professor of biosciences at Rice University, to separate fact from fish-ction. He also explains new research he helped conduct about the evolutionary history of anglerfish, which could help explain why they look the way they do.
Further Reading
- Read about how the viral anglerfish set off some intense emotions via The New York Times.
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Segment Guests
Kory Evans
Dr. Kory Evans is an assistant professor of biosciences at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Segment Transcript
The transcript of this segment is being processed. It will be available early next week.
Meet the Producers and Host
About D Peterschmidt
D Peterschmidt is a producer, host of the podcast Universe of Art, and composes music for Science Friday’s podcasts. Their D&D character is a clumsy bard named Chip Chap Chopman.
About Flora Lichtman
Flora Lichtman is a host of Science Friday. In a previous life, she lived on a research ship where apertivi were served on the top deck, hoisted there via pulley by the ship’s chef.