Is the Electric Clam Really Electric?

Lindsey Dougherty, a researcher from the University of California Berkeley, is at Lembeh Resort collaborating with Dimpy Jacobs to study the “Electric Clam” or “Disco Clam”. Lindsey and Dimpy did a presentation for the resort guests and a presentation for the dive staff about how the flashy light display of the clam really works. It turns out that the lights are not from bioluminescence, but instead are only from reflection of sunlight in the ocean (or a dive torch!) The clams have a highly reflective tissue on the very outer edge of their mantle that is exposed and then hidden very quickly, so the change back and forth from the white reflective tissue to the red tissue creates the appearance of flashing. Critters@Lembeh created a short video about the research that Lindsey and Dimpy are conducting on the house reef and other local sites (including Nudi Retreat, a guest favorite!)

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