Not many animals have shown the ability to identify and move to a musical beat, with humans, parrots and some primates being notable exceptions. Now, Ronan the sea lion has scientists rethinking the meaning of music. That’s because Ronan can still keep a beat after all these years. She can groove to rock and electronica, but the 15-year-old animal’s talent shines most in bobbing to disco hits like "Boogie Wonderland." Researchers recently conducted a study with Ronan and 10 college students. The researchers asked the students to wave their arms to the changing beats, and Ronan was the top diva. “No human was better than Ronan at all the different ways we test quality of beat-keeping,” said Peter Cook, a behavioral neuroscientist at New College of Florida who has spent a decade studying Ronan’s rhythmic abilities. Researchers plan to train and test other sea lions, as Cook suspects they can also groove to the beat.
