Twitter Hails Iconic New York Times Headline About Eels As A True Work Of Literary Genius

When a writer makes puns and that pun's tons of fun, that's amore.

A New York Times headline has gone viral for its stunning composition and amazing play on words, in the style of Harry Warren and Jack Brooks' hit song "That's Amore" which became a signature song for Dean Martin in the early 1950s.

Here's the song:

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And here is the headline:

The story is about how moray eels can find prey on land, and how they have shown their ability to eat squid in lab tests.

Not only does the headline scan, but it fully rhymes and the play on "amore" is absolutely astounding.

The study at the center of the story itself is also very interesting.

Conducted by Dr. Rita S. Mehta, an evolutionary biologist with the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her colleagues, centered around testing moray eels' willingness to scale a ramp for pieces of measured squid supplied by the lab.

One eel in particular, named Benjen, eventually refused until he was given giant pieces of squid--and Benjen is another standout of the piece.

Mehta also was struck by Benjen remembering the ramp and not using it on purpose. The study lasted well over 6 years and was constantly interrupted by school breaks and holidays, but Benjen's memory of the ramp and the squid endured.

At the conclusion of the study, Benjen still lives in the lab, awaiting large pieces of squid.

The headline, and Benjen the eel, have slithered their way into our hearts.