From AFP News Agency.
At the height of North America’s firefly season in July 2025, TikTok lit up with misinformation about the beloved luminescent insect.
"We are the last generation to see fireflies" claimed posts set to the same sound and using animated images of lightning bugs, one gathering over 30 million views. But the claim is false.
There are over 2,000 species of fireflies on all continents except for Antarctica, making it highly unlikely that all of them would disappear within just one generation. Some species have also shown remarkable adaptability to light pollution.
However, experts also told AFP that the destruction of habitats could lead to the extinction of certain species.
MUSIC: AudioNetwork / The Way is Lit / Thomas Balmforth (PRS)
