Dancing parrots? Yes. Internet sensation and television star Snowball, a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, can get down with the best of them. Maybe Snowball can't do the quick-step, but what he lacks in technical skill is overshadowed by his enthusiasm. He can gyrate, hop, bop and swivel as good as any contestant on Dancing With the Stars.
Apparently, dancing to the rhythm of music isn't an exclusively human trait, and there are plenty of videos on YouTube depicting a variety of animals dancing to music. Studies have found that parrots dance to the rhythm of music. According to Adena Schachner from Harvard University, only vocal mimics—one species of elephant and parrots actually move with the sound of music.
Schachner studied an array of animals on YouTube and observed a variety of animals that included dancing dogs, cats, and parrots. "Most of them were parrots—we found 14 different species of parrots on YouTube that showed convincing evidence that they could keep a beat." said Schachner.
Dr. Aniruddh Patel, from the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, said that "We've discovered a cockatoo named Snowball that dances to the beat of human music."Patel says, "Using a controlled experiment, we've shown that if the music speeds up or slows down across a wide range, he adjusts the tempo of his dancing to stay synchronized to the beat."
Mona, a 35-year-old Green-cheeked Amazon, has always been partial to the Rolling Stones. Her dancing may be a bit more geriatric than Snowball, but she manages to do some pretty fancy twirling and tail shaking.
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