According to a new study, rats aren’t just the creatures we see running around subway tunnels or dragging slices of pizza larger than their bodies, as they have other talents.
They are able to keep a rhythm while listening to music.
The study comes from the University of Tokyo, where scientists found that while playing Mozart, the rats beat in synchronicity.
Associate professor at the university, Hirokazu Takahashi, shared with NPR that the rats were able to follow a beat without prior training to do so, something that was previously believed to be a human trait.
"Rats displayed innate — that is, without any training or prior exposure to music — beat synchronization most distinctly within 120-140 bpm (beats per minute), to which humans also exhibit the clearest beat synchronization," Takahashi said.
The study included the use of 20 rats and wireless accelerometers used to measure head movements while one-minute experts of “Sonata for two pianos” by Motzart played.
The music was played at speeds of 75%, 100%, 200%, and 400%, to examine if the rats could find the beat and keep their rhythm.
Responses to “K. 448” by Mozart made up most of the data examined in the study, but four other musical pieces were also played, including "Beat It" by Michael Jackson, "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga, and “Sugar” by Maroon 5.
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