A funky mollusc known as the `disco clam' unveiled secrets behind its scintillating moves. As per researchers, this sea floor diva has been named as disco clam due to bright rhythmic display it puts on with its mirrored lips, visible even in the dim blue depths.

The disco clam, real name Ctenoides ales, uses microscopic glass beads to spread reflected light from along the lips of its two shells. With the help of high-speed video, researchers got to know how the clam spreads out and encloses its lip-edge in a wave-like motion.

Due to its unfurl and furling motion, the clam showed alternatively reflective silica spheres and non-reflective light-absorbing tissue. Lead researcher Lindsey Dougherty from the University of California at Berkeley was of the view, "To the best of our knowledge, C. ales is the first animal to use silica as a scattering structure via intracellular nanospheres".

As per the research team, it is actually quite unusual to see silica getting discharged by animals. Researchers are carrying out further investigation to know if flashing acts as a sort of a signal. Researchers suspected that the flashing might helps juvenile disco clams to find each other, so they can settle in small colonies.

Another speculation is the light is visible to other species as well like reef fish, cephalopods and crustaceans. Therefore, it is possible that the light may act as some sort of deterrent. The research has been published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.