Panic of the Disco Clam
In the article, Jenny Rood discusses how a team of scientists in Florida researched the Ctenoides ales, also known as the disco clam. The team proposed that one possible explanation for their blinking lights is to fend off predators. In fact, the clam's lights and sulfur tainted tentacles scared off attacking shrimp.
I find this really fascinating. The disco clam is very unique in its ability to produce an array of colors! Especially since those colors help fend off predators. And while these flashy colors may not be as exciting as a disco, they sure do help save the Mollusk. In fact, this creature has really caught my fascination. Not everyday do we hear of special clams with blinking anti-shrimp lights. I will definitely have to continue looking into the disco clam!
Now for the readers: think about all the features you could have to deter predators. What would you choose? Would it be disco lights?
Source
Rood, J. (2015, January 6). Panic of the Disco Clam. Retrieved June 14, 2017, from http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/41851/title/Panic-of-the-Disco-Clam/
I think this is super cool, especially since the clam's bright array of colors is used to their advantage rather than making them easier targets. I would have expected that they would have a harder time against predators because they are more easily spotted and don't blend in as much to their surroundings.
ReplyDeleteThis is an odd way to fend off predators. I would never have thought of a clam in the ocean which is a "disco" to fend of predators! If I had to fend of predators to save my own life, I would probably do something funky like disco lights but defiently more lwokey.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what kind of predators the clams have to fend off and how the lights affect the predators. I agree with Katie and usually thought that prey would want to blend into their surroundings. I also want to know more about how the clam can turn on or off the lights, and where they are found.
ReplyDeleteThats very interesting that the clams defense mechanism consists of blinking lights. What materials in the clams body are used to create the lights?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the blinking light stuns the attacker, similar to a "deer in the headlights." This is a creature I would love to see the fossil record. How did it acquire this odd trait? It is certainly a cool one though!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou could add in what the disco clam eats to and how it catches its prey.
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