Seals, Sea Lions Offer Insights on Vocal Evolution

Neuroscientists uncover new clues about why humans can talk when most animals can't.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 7:26am

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Researchers from Emory University and New College of Florida used diffusion MRI to study the brains of seals, sea lions, and coyotes, revealing that marine mammals like seals and sea lions have a direct neural connection between their vocal motor cortex and the muscles used for vocalization. This "bypass" of the mid-brain region that controls automatic behaviors like breathing allows seals and sea lions to have much more vocal flexibility and the ability to mimic human speech, unlike most other animals.

Why it matters

The findings provide new insights into the evolutionary origins of human speech and language abilities. Understanding how seals and sea lions developed this unique vocal flexibility could offer clues about the neurological mechanisms that enabled humans to develop advanced vocal communication skills.

The details

The researchers used diffusion MRI to map the brain connectivity of four California sea lions, four harbor seals, three northern elephant seals, and four coyotes. They found that in coyotes, the mid-brain region controls the muscles used for vocalization, but in the marine mammals, there is a direct connection between the vocal motor cortex and the vocal muscles, bypassing the mid-brain. This allows seals and sea lions to have much more voluntary control over their vocalizations, including the ability to mimic human speech, which is rare in the animal kingdom.

  • The research was published in the journal Science on March 13, 2026.

The players

Gregory Berns

Emory University professor of psychology and senior author of the study.

Peter Cook

Former Emory postdoctoral fellow and first author of the study, now associate professor of marine mammal science at New College of Florida.

Karla Miller

Co-author of the study and researcher at the University of Oxford who developed the technique of using diffusion MRI on non-living brains.

Hoover

A famous harbor seal known for his ability to mimic human speech, including a Boston accent.

Researchers at the University of St Andrews

Researchers who trained gray seals to imitate human voices humming "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and the theme to "Star Wars".

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What they’re saying

“We've discovered an ecological recipe for how a mammal might evolve a vocally flexible brain.”

— Peter Cook, Associate professor of marine mammal science at New College of Florida

“By broadening the scope and using these neuroimaging techniques to compare more mammalian species wired to have vocal flexibility with those that are not, we might be able to build up an evolutionary tree for language.”

— Gregory Berns, Emory University professor of psychology

“Many people have an impression of seals and sea lions as just fat, furry slugs, laying on a beach and barking. In reality, they are intelligent animals with brains close in size to those of chimpanzees.”

— Peter Cook, Associate professor of marine mammal science at New College of Florida

What’s next

The researchers are building on these findings through a similar brain study in whales, dolphins and porpoises, another group of marine mammals with impressive vocal abilities.

The takeaway

This research provides valuable insights into the evolutionary origins of human speech and language abilities, suggesting that the development of a direct neural connection between the vocal motor cortex and vocal muscles may have been a key factor in allowing some marine mammals to develop advanced vocal communication skills.