This mollusk sure knows how to groove. The flashy 'disco clam,' shown in the video above, earned its name from the light show produced by reflective cells on the edge of its mantle. Why would a clam light up in this way? Biologists aren't sure, but they have a few hypotheses.
"Light is often used to attract prey items," UC Berkeley graduate student Lindsey Dougherty told The Huffington Post. "A lot of small prey items are phototaxic, so they're attracted to light. Even though [clams] are filter feeders, they may be enticing prey."
Another possibility, Dougherty said, is that the light display may serve as a warning to predators. "But we don't know yet whether the clams are actually toxic," she added.
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