Topic description and stories

Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger

31 Aug 2018

Despite rapidly ageing, dominant animals live longer because their underlings are driven out of the group – becoming easy targets for predators. The...

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Sub-adult meerkats playing.

Female meerkats compete to outgrow their sisters

26 May 2016

Latest research shows subordinate meerkat siblings grow competitively, boosting their chance of becoming a dominant breeder when a vacancy opens up...

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‘Extreme sleepover #13’ – the wet-nursing meerkats of the Kalahari

04 Jun 2014

Reporting back from her time spent in the Kalahari Desert, PhD student Kirsty MacLeod describes the fascinating life of a gang of meerkats that...

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Meerkats

Infanticide linked to wet-nursing in meerkats

08 Oct 2013

Mothers who lose their pups to infanticide by the dominant female in a meerkat group often then provide the dominant female with a wet-nurse service...

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Research suggests meerkat predator-scanning behaviour is altruistic

15 Feb 2013

Meerkats are more likely to scan for predators from high vantage points or guard on their hind legs when young pups are present in the group.

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Meerkat

Tradition explains why some meerkats are late risers

07 Jul 2010

Just as afternoon tea is traditional in England but not in France, different groups of meerkats have different ways of doing things, Cambridge...

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