Did you know that college students were bested by a sea lion, when it came to keeping beats? 🎶🦭 Ronan is a Californian Sea Lion here at UC Santa Cruz. Back in 2013, she became the first non-human mammal to move in time with music! More recently, she was tested again at various tempos of 112, 120, and 128 bpm. 🎧 The results? Her performance was even more consistent than humans! Scientists used to believe that only humans and a few bird species like parrots 🦜 could move in time with music, but Ronan proves otherwise! We may need to rethink who—and what—can truly perceive rhythm and music. Who knows, maybe humans may not be the best beat keepers in the animal kingdom! 👀 Many questions still remain. For example, how does Ronan fare against more complex beats? 🤔 Hopefully, to be determined by her team here at UC Santa Cruz, which ranks # 2 in the nation for marine & ocean sciences! 💙💛 #ucsc #ucsantacruz #universityofcalifornia #sealion