Seals sing the 'Star Wars' theme tune, 'twinkle twinkle little star'

22 Jun 2019

image depicting Rare grey seals on Farne Islands counted using drones

Seals sing the ‘Star Wars’ theme tune, ‘twinkle twinkle little star’

Seals sing the ‘Star Wars’ theme tune, ‘twinkle twinkle little star’
Do you like to sing? It turns out that seals like to sing too!
 
Researchers at the University of St Andrews in Scotland have found that grey seals are able to copy human speech and songs.

Three young grey seals were observed from birth to see what sounds they could make naturally. Then, they were trained to copy new sounds and songs.
 	One seal named Zola was especially talented at copying tunes.
 	She was able to copy and sing tunes like the movie "Star Wars" theme and "Twinkle twinkle little star."
 	Other than seals, animals like whales, dolphins and elephants can also copy human tunes.

The full results of the research are published in the magazine Current Biology.

Maybe one day, we can also get to meet Zola!

Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons

Please note that certain words and phrases may not be comprehensible to children. Adults and teachers are requested to read and explain these concepts to them for better understanding.

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