Clever little citizen.
[quote]According to researchers at UC Santa Cruz's Long Marine Laboratory, Ronan the sea lion has demonstrated an exceptional ability to bob her head in time with various musical beats, challenging the long-held belief that rhythmic entrainment was unique to humans and vocal-mimicking birds like parrots.
[quote]They filmed Ronan bobbing her head as the drummer played three different tempos – 112, 120, and 128 beats per minute. Two of those beats Ronan had never been exposed to, allowing scientists to test her flexibility in recognizing new rhythms. And the researchers asked 10 college students to do the same, waving their forearm to changing beats. Ronan was the top diva.
[quote]“No human was better than Ronan at all the different ways we test quality of beat-keeping,” said Cook, adding that "she's much better than when she was a kid,” indicating lifetime learning.