A sea floor diva known as the "disco clam" has revealed the secrets of its dazzling moves to scientists.
The funky mollusc, which lives in crevices at depths of 10 to 160 feet, earned the name from its vivid rhythmic display of flashing mauve light.
Experts first thought the light show was just another example of bioluminescence, but new research shows it is groovier than that.
The disco clam, real name Ctenoides ales, uses microscopic glass beads to scatter reflected light from along the lips of its two shells.
Scientists who subjected the clam to a battery of sophisticated tests discovered that the beads are the perfect size to maximise light scattering.
The US scientists, led by Lindsey Dougherty from the University of California at Berkeley, believe the flashing serves as a signal, but are still investigating why it evolved. Details of the research appear in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
One theory is that it helps juvenile disco clams find each other so they can settle in small colonies.
Studies have shown that moving a stimulus toward the clam causes the flash rate to increase, suggesting it might also act as some kind of a deterrent to would-be predators.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/disco-clams-reveal-secrets-073917430.html
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