Born to dance: The animals with natural rhythm


Dogs and ducks are duds on the dance floor. So how come cockatoos and sea lions can move to a beat, and what does that tell us about our own musicality?


THE Remo drum company has provided kits for the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. But the rock-and-roll antics of a recent group of clients is in a different league. "These guys will sit on a drum, they'll pee on it, they'll chew it, they'll try to pick it apart with their fingers," says Edward Large. "It really needs to be indestructible." He's not wrong. They trashed their first set of bongos within a week – and they hadn't even played them. But then, they are bonobos.


It wasn't until the company came up with a more robust kit – made from the material used to upholster pick-up trucks – that the beat could start. Like most animals, ...


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