Researchers from the University of St Andrews say grey seals can copy human sounds, and could be used as a new model to study speech disorders.
Three young grey seals were used in the study: Gandalf, a male, and Zola and Janice, two females, Gizmodo reported.
The seals were born on the Isle of May and brought to the marine mammal facility at the University of St. Andrews when they were very young, with training starting shortly thereafter and lasting for 12 months. The three seals were allowed to co-mingle with other juveniles in three enclosures, and they were released back into the wild a year after they were captured.
