Ronan, a 16-year-old California sea lion, is making headlines again in 2025 for her exceptional rhythmic abilities. A new study published in Scientific Reports on May 1, 2025, confirms that Ronan's beat-keeping skills remain impressive, even outperforming humans in certain tests.
The study involved Ronan bobbing her head to percussion beats at varying tempos (112, 120, and 128 beats per minute). Researchers compared her performance to that of college students waving their forearms. At her most practiced tempo, Ronan hit the beat within 15 milliseconds on average. The students were asked to move their preferred arm in a fluid, up-and-down motion to the beat of a percussive metronome.
Peter Cook, a behavioral neuroscientist, highlighted Ronan's precision and consistency. Ronan's talent challenges the notion that responding to music is uniquely human. Researchers are now exploring whether she can track more complex, irregular patterns. They also plan to study other sea lions to see if they share Ronan's talent.