Sea Lion Keeps A Beat

Dancing may come naturally to (some) humans, but it doesn't quite have a parallel in the animal kingdom. A sea lion named Ronan is the first non-human mammal to show she can move to the rhythm of a song. www.livescienc...
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[@TemperanceRaziel]

Even seal lions dance better than me.

[@churlish_hoecake]

This is ridiculously awesome.

[@Spetet]

We’ve known they have a sense of fun for a long time. Not surprising that they like to dance.

[@ORACLE063]

I hate it when the dj cuts my song mid tune

[@23skiddsy6]

The interesting thing is harbor seals HAVE been documented vocal mimics. Pinnipeds are just secretly musically minded.

[@TyreezyCapalot]

snapple facts brought me here

[@WobblesandBean]

I love how you chose Boogie Wonderland for this 😂

[@Amr_Elkholy]

❤❤❤

[@HayleyLimbatmanhalo]

Better than justin bieber at dancing

[@BenjaminBox]

This comment is definitely on par for when it was posted lol

[@marble296]

Can you train me to have rhythm?

[@islandrock294]

wow 🦭🦭🦭🦭🦭🦭🦭🦭🦭🦭

[@Abyanworld1]

Say whaaaat

[@rahulsinha3386]

after cdc3 anyone?

[@christopherdaniel1371]

I believe all animals keep one kind of rythme or another in their ways.. .

[@WobblesandBean]

We know parrotse can, they're the first non human observed to do so. But now we know pinnipeds like this sea lion can, too.

[@lbuckey2]

I appreciate skill and scientific exploration, but it makes me sad that the seal lives to get food to do tricks for humans, it seems demeaning it’s true livelihood. Does it also have a chance to swim in the ocean and be free?

[@pioxia777]

🤓

[@t.angelbuddy6805]

Did anybody happen to notice would a small pen with a small pool yes it was very cute but that's still abuse unless that's your line is being rehabilitated to be released I think it's horrible

[@LeyliaFireheart]

Obviously this comment was made many years ago but responding anyway because these types of baseless assumptions really grind my gears. Also so more people can educate themselves on animals in human care particularly those trained for research. First note that this facility engages strictly in force-free, cooperative training because it is a research facility. Research guidelines and restrictions largely mandate force-free, cooperative training for the sake of welfare and because animals under stress and duress give bad data which leads to bad science.
This is only one pen in the facility, there are many more of varying sizes. The animals receive daily enrichment in the form of toys, heated dens, ice enrichment, food enrichment, and mental stimulation through training sessions. There is a vet on-call. Keep in mind that this is a tightly controlled scenario specifically for the research training in which the trainers likely removed any toys or moved the animal to a different enclosure to minimize distractions for the research. The animal is in this scenario maybe for 5 minutes at a time (typically length of a research training session). Furthermore, these people specialize in caring for marine mammals and understanding their behavior, physiology, and needs. Literally these are EXPERTS in marine mammal cognition and physiology and this is a research and education facility not a public display facility or for-profit facility. Ronan is a rescued sea lion that was deemed non-releasable by a rehab center. This research was not done because it was "cute" it was done to give use a better understanding of how sea lions perceive the world around them. The ability to "keep a beat" is an extremely complex behavior that shows these animals are extremely intelligent. Knowing this as a FACT actually greatly benefits these animals because it can be used in support of sentience which if you know anything about animal welfare laws you would know that arguments for and against sentience are often what determines the level of care these animals require and their actual rights under the law through the concept of "personhood". More evidence for sentience means laws can be written to ensure more protections for both wild animals and those in human care.
Additionally, a bigger pen does not necessarily mean better circumstances. it has been shown time and time again that when given the choice some animals will chose smaller enclosures and some will chose larger. It very much depends on the animal. Many facilities give animals the choice of what enclosure they prefer whenever possible. I work with an animal who always choses the smallest enclosure even though she is often receives the most reinforcement in the largest enclosure. I also work with an animal that is partially blind and smaller enclosures are easier for her to navigate so she generally prefers smaller enclosures over larger ones.
What matters is that the animal's physical and emotional needs are cared for not necessarily how you, the untrained public, thinks their enclosure should look. Additionally this is a research facility where animal welfare is highly regulated by not one but 3 separate regulating entities that ensure the animal's welfare. People like you are the reason why videos like this aren't shared because you take one look at the enclosure and assume that you know everything about what these people do or how the animal is cared for. In reality you have done exactly 0 research on the institution that cares of this animal and are totally ignorant + making baseless assumptions. These attitudes significantly hinder the ability of scientists to engage with the public which hurts everyone.

[@WobblesandBean]

The comment before me pretty much said it all, but your assumptions are incorrect. I'm a zoologist with a background in marine mammals, so please trust me when I say these training pools are small just to keep the animal focused during training and research exercises. They are not kept here 24/7.

[@WobblesandBean]

@@LeyliaFireheart Out of curiosity, where do you work? My dream is to work in a facility like this, I live in NorCal and I'm hoping to be employed at Santa Cruz just like this gentleman.

[@t.angelbuddy6805]

That was supposed to say sea lion