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Short Wave

Lightning Bugs, Fireflies - Call Them What You Will, They're Awesome

Short Wave

NPR

Nature, News, Astronomy, Science, Daily News, Life Sciences

4.76.5K Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2021

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

There are thousands of species of lightning bug and they live all over the world except in Antarctica. Maddie and Emily discuss lots of other amazing tidbits about the family Lampyridae and talk about what humans can do to preserve the bugs, which are facing widespread habitat disruption.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

0:04.3

Hey everyone, Emily Kwong here with my co-hostess with the most is Maddie Sophia.

0:10.7

Hello, Critter.

0:11.7

Hello, whatcha got for us, Sophia?

0:14.6

So, Emily, I've got a little episode about a beetle that is very popular this time of

0:19.8

year in the States.

0:21.5

We're talking lightning bugs, fireflies, twinkle butts, whatever you want to call them.

0:26.4

Yeah, I remember catching them in the backyard as a kid.

0:29.2

I don't think all of them survived that experience, but they're so cool.

0:34.0

And I absolutely did not know they were beetles.

0:36.8

I just knew that I loved them.

0:38.6

Well did you know that they eat snails?

0:40.7

Because that's one of your favorite animals.

0:42.1

How do you feel about them now?

0:43.9

Conflict it.

0:45.9

Just you wait, Emily Kwong.

0:46.9

I've got a whole list of little twinkle butt facts that will delight you.

0:51.8

Disarm you.

0:52.8

Inspire you to make change, Emily.

0:55.6

If anyone can do it in 10 minutes, it's you.

0:58.5

So today on the show, we are talking about the incredible world of lightning bugs and

1:03.4

what we need to do to keep these critters around.

...

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