Can animals feel the beat? Ronan the sea lion might just prove it

Can a sea lion really feel the beat like we do? That question has fascinated scientists exploring biomusicality – how different species respond to rhythm and music.

One famous sea lion is helping provide surprising answers. Ronan, the rhythm-savvy sea lion who once bobbed her head to pop tunes, is back in the spotlight. And according to new research, her sense of rhythm is not only real – it may be sharper than most humans’.

Ronan the sea lion lives at the Long Marine Laboratory, part of the University of California, Santa Cruz. In 2013, she gained global attention when researchers showed that she could synchronize her head bobs to music, even unfamiliar songs with new tempos.

Now, a new study confirms that Ronan has kept her skills sharp over the years – and her rhythmic timing might just outperform ours.

Dancing sea lion surprises scientists

In the latest experiment, scientists set out to test Ronan’s timing accuracy. They designed a beat-keeping task that closely matched how she naturally responds – through head bobbing.

To compare her abilities with humans, the team asked 10 UC Santa Cruz undergraduates to move one arm up and down in sync with a simple metronome beat. Three tempos were used: 112, 120, and 128 beats per minute.

Ronan had only been trained at 120 bpm, so the other two were new to the sea lion. Even so, she didn’t miss a beat. At her practiced tempo of 120 bpm, she was incredibly precise, hitting the beat within just 15 milliseconds on average. That’s roughly a tenth the duration of a human blink.

“She is incredibly precise, with variability of only about a tenth of an eyeblink from cycle to cycle,” said Peter Cook, one of the study’s authors. “Sometimes, she might hit the beat five milliseconds early, sometimes she might hit it 10 milliseconds late. But she’s basically hitting the rhythmic bullseye over and over and over again.”

Ronan volunteers for rhythm training

The researchers are quick to point out that Ronan chooses to take part in these sessions. She’s never forced or deprived of food.

If she doesn’t feel like working, she’s free to swim off. Before each session, she climbs onto a special ramp where she waits calmly. When she’s ready, she signals the team, and the experiment begins.

Ronan’s rhythm training spans over a decade. Since joining the lab in 2010, she’s completed about 2,000 short rhythm tasks – each just 10 to 15 seconds long. There were even years when she didn’t practice at all. That’s not a lot compared to a typical child’s exposure to music.

“She definitely wasn’t overtrained,” Cook said. “Realistically, if you added up the amount of rhythmic exposure Ronan has had since she’s been with us, it is probably dwarfed by what a typical 1 year old kid has heard.”

Dancing her way to fame

Ronan’s path to stardom began with hardship. Born in the wild in 2008, she stranded repeatedly due to malnutrition and was eventually deemed non-releasable.

UC Santa Cruz took her in and made her part of their Pinniped Lab, where researchers explore the cognitive and sensory abilities of marine mammals. The lab uses positive reinforcement to encourage cooperation.

Ronan has participated in a wide range of projects, from rhythm and memory to diving physiology. And she’s still going strong. At 16 years old and 170 pounds, she’s considered to be in her prime.

Rewriting the rules of rhythm

The original 2013 study on Ronan challenged a leading theory in biomusicality. That theory said only vocal mimics – such as humans and some birds – could synchronize to music because their brains are wired for vocal learning.

Ronan, however, isn’t known to learn new vocalizations. The sea lion’s ability to keep time raised new questions.Despite early praise, some researchers doubted Ronan’s rhythm skills.

They argued that her performance wasn’t as consistent as human timing. This led to the new study, which set out to compare Ronan’s beat-keeping abilities directly with humans using the same test conditions. The results were clear.

Ronan wasn’t just keeping up – she was outpacing her human peers. She showed greater precision and less variability at every tested tempo. To further confirm this, the researchers used student data to model the theoretical performance of 10,000 humans. Ronan placed in the 99th percentile.

More than talent – it’s a choice

The team that works with Ronan has built a strong bond with her over the years. They know her moods, her enthusiasm, and her intelligence. They also know she performs best when she’s motivated.

“One of the most important outcomes of the study is the fact that maturation and experience matter,” said Colleen Reichmuth, a lead researcher at the lab. “It’s not just a test of rhythmic performance. It reflects her cognitive behavior and her ability to remember and refine it over time.”

And she wants to succeed. Every time she climbs the ramp and signals she’s ready, it’s because she chooses to. “She’s motivated. To her, it’s a game she knows how to win,” Reichmuth said, “and she likes the fish that come with it.”

Ronan’s contribution to science goes far beyond her head bobs. Her work is helping researchers rethink which species are capable of perceiving and producing rhythm.

Since her debut, follow-up studies have explored rhythm in birds, primates, elephants, and more. She’s sparked new discussions in the scientific community and shifted how we view animal cognition.

Not just a party trick

The researchers stress that this isn’t about teaching animals cute tricks. It’s about understanding the evolution of intelligence.

Rhythm and pattern recognition are key parts of how brains process information. And these traits may be more widespread in the animal kingdom than we thought.

Cook often gets asked why dogs don’t dance. His answer: maybe no one’s tried. “If you’re going to say dogs can’t dance, you have to empirically assess that – really give the dog many opportunities to receive very precise feedback on rhythmic movement and see how they do,” he said.

“I would be very surprised if you couldn’t get a border collie to do something like what Ronan does if you spend enough time on it.”

Sea lion changed the beat forever

This new study reinforces what her team already knew – Ronan is extraordinary. But her story also carries a broader message. Intelligence comes in many forms.

With the right training, environment, and support, animals like Ronan can reveal abilities we once thought were uniquely human.

“Ronan’s new study highlights the importance of experience, maturity, and really fine-grained training in a controlled laboratory setting to assess these questions,” Cook concluded.

The full study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Image Credit: Photo by Colleen Reichmuth; NMFS 23554

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