California Sea Lion Can Keep the Beat to Music
Posted on April 1, 2013
A California sea lion, named Ronan, bobs her head in time with music. Scientists say this is the first non-human mammal that can keep the beat. The ability has been seen in parrots and other birds. Ronan is a California sea lion at Long Marine Laboratory at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She was trained by scientists to bob her head in time with rhythmic sounds. One of the songs Ronan can dance to is Earth Wind & Fire's "Boogie Wonderland." Take a look:
Peter Cook, a doctoral candidate at the Long Marine Lab at UCSC, says, "Dancing is universal among humans, and until recently, it was thought to be unique to humans as well. When some species of birds were found to have a similar capability for rhythmic movement, it was linked to their ability to mimic sound. Now we're seeing that even mammals with limited vocal ability can move in time with a beat over a broad range of sounds and tempos."
The research was published here in the Journal of Comparative Psychology. The research paper can also be found here.
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