Researchers document sea lion’s synchronized head bobbing to
‘Boogie Wonderland’
Move over dancing bears, Ronan the sea lion really does know
how to boogie to the beat.
A California sea lion who bobs her head in time with music
has given scientists the first empirical evidence of an animal that is not
capable of vocal mimicry but can keep the beat, according to new research
published by the American Psychological Association.
The study’s authors suggest that their findings challenge
current scientific theories that an animal’s ability to synchronize its
movements with sound are associated with the same brain mechanisms that allow
for vocal mimicry in humans and some birds such as cockatoos, parrots and
budgerigars. The findings were published online April 1 in APA’s Journal of
Comparative Psychology®.