Ronan the sea lion, still a rhythmic prodigy at 15, outperformed 10 college students in a laboratory beat-keeping test at UC Santa Cruz, bobbing expertly to 112, 120, and 128 BPM. Researchers filmed her swaying to new tempos, leaving scientists reeling—“She just nails that one.”

No human matched Ronan’s precision across all tested rhythms. In this latest animal musicality study, Ronan’s disco-worthy head-bobs outshone even seasoned drummers, confirming her as a top ambassador for animal beat detection. “She’s much better than when she was a kid,” researchers marveled, as the sea lion’s rhythmic legacy grew.

Ronan is the only non-vocal-learning mammal proven to master new beats without prior exposure.