There's a fish so 'romantic' it absorbs into its mate and people can't stop talking about it
"So I'm out here single with a pool of men with 'trust issues' while Mother Nature is fusing fish couples together."

The mating habits of anglerfish are capturing the internet
Have you ever heard of the anglerfish? It's one of those profoundly unusual looking deep water fish that live towards the bottom of the ocean. You know the kind of fish that's almost translucent with a squished head that nightmares are made of? Well, it turns out the unique look is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the anglerfish.
There's been a viral post going around social media explaining all about this fish's mating habits and It's giving people the willies. Well, while it's giving some people the creeps, there are a select few that wouldn't mind if humans had similar mating rituals. Though, with this fish's habits, mating only happens once and then the male ceases to exist.
This isn't some sort of black widow or preying mantis situation, no one's heads are being eaten. But according to the infographic, and science, the anglerfish male attaches to the female and fuses with her body unable to survive without her.
Yep. That's a thing. The male fish is a lot smaller than the female fish so she can have multiple males fuse onto her at the same time. After the male fuses to the female, the female essentially begins to absorb them, sharing their skin and circulatory system.
This level of intimacy seems to be a bit on the excessive side and likely not what was meant by becoming "one with your partner," which is why people finding out this information for the first time are having some uncomfortable feelings. But aside from all of the "ewws" were hilarious jokes from commenters trying to work out the relationship mechanics."That's way more than I want to do," one person jokes.
"This is the kind of love that humans describe when they say when you get married, your bodies become one. But, we didn't mean it literally," someone says.
"So glad humans don't do this. It would really complicate divorce proceedings," another added.
'“Hey I know we just met and all, but I’m really feeling a connection here. How bout I merge into your body, and share your bloodstream. Whaddya say?”,' someone writes.
The nonscientific fish experts may just now be finding out this information, but this isn't new and the reason behind them even being able to fuse together is interesting. There are multiple species of anglerfish and while most mate without fusing, some species are quite literally stuck together once they've picked a mate.
This is because there's something missing in their immune system that tells the female there's something foreign in her body to fight it off. Since her immune system doesn't recognize the invader as an invader, the male anglerfish becomes parasitic in a more literal way than the ex that won't get off of your couch.
It doesn't sound like either fish has much of a say so in what happens to their bodies when they mate. And since there's no fish interpreters, there's really no way to tell if the male anglerfish understand that once they mate they can never let go. What a wild ride through science that sadly for the male anglerfish, they can never get off. No pun intended.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.