The Disco Clam Edition

Colin here. I still have diving on the mind. And while I haven’t been since getting certified in Palau earlier this month, I have disappeared into some delightful sub-sea Internet wormholes. 

Reading up on the interesting things I saw underwater has been like flipping on a light switch for my understanding. I can no longer just look at a calm ocean without thinking of the complex systems and vibrant life happening underneath the surface, all the way down to the deepest depths. 

Enter the disco clam. 

Why is this interesting? 

The name gives it away: it’s a clam that lights up underwater, as if it had LED strips attached to it. It is one of the coolest things you can spot on a dive. Also known as electric flame scallops, they are bivalves that live in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific.

Phys.org tells the story of one researcher’s relationship with the creature over time: 

It was the disco clam (Ctenoides ales). And it caught Dougherty's eye for good reason: Even in a coral reef, these tropical bivalves are explosions of color. They have bright-red appendages that dangle out of their shells and thin strips of tissue that pulse with sparkly light like a disco ball—hence their name. In that moment, she found her research calling. "How do they flash?'" Dougherty remembered thinking as she dove through the reef with scuba gear. As a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, the young scientist solved that first puzzle: the clams, she discovered, carry tiny, silica spheres in their tissue.

National Geographic shows them in action here, complete with an appropriate soundtrack:

Dougherty is now further researching the reason behind the clam’s vibrant colors. The organism differs from other bivalves that are white, gray, and really rather boring looking. According to the research teams, “One hypothesis we had is this might be some sort of warning signal to predators saying, 'Don't eat me.' It’s similar to how poison frogs are so vibrantly colored, as a warning to would-be predators.” 

It will be awhile before there is conclusive research to figure out this piece of the puzzle. In the meantime, the disco clam remains delightful to look at and one of the most valued,  colorful characters on the reef. (CJN) 

Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN)

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