A 15-year-old sea lion named Ronan proved better at keeping a beat than 10 college students in a rhythmic dance-off, researchers reported Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports. The results challenge the long-held theory that "only animals who were vocal learners — like humans and parrots — could learn to find a beat,

Ronan was slightly more variable beat to beat than adult humans. She also tended to hit ahead of the beat when listening to slower stimuli and behind the beat on the faster stimuli. By comparison, humans in lab studies tend to be more precise and hit right ahead of the beat regardless of tempo.

Ronan, a sea lion at UC Santa Cruz, outperforms humans in keeping a beat, challenging long-held beliefs about rhythm perception in animals.