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Alan's post misses the most endearing element of meerkat behaviour - the roving coalition.

Rovers are male meerkats that spend sometimes weeks visiting other groups in search of females. Sometimes they get lucky and find a lone female or 2. But to go roving in small numbers is a hazardous pastime so they often go out in fairly large groups. Often the older, more experienced meerkats teach the adolescents how best to attract a female and groups of rovers will sometimes meet up and join forces all with the same objective in mind.

Those that go roving are usually those who live in groups where they are related to all the females, sisters, daughters etc and, like us, there are things they don't do with sisters and daughters.

All sorts of things can happen with roving coalitions. They can sometimes take over a group or, if they meet up with a few lone females start a new group. One of the most successful groups currently in the Kalahari was formed by a roving coalition who met up with a number of lone females (Amanda can guess who lead that one ).

Somehow, they remind me of my youth.

Bob.

Apparently American TV companies have been screen testing for a new series of Star Trek to be renamed...Meer Trek!
A sneak still from the rushes.

That's a meerkat Jim . . . . . . . . . But not as we know it!

In a fit of insanity it seems appropriate to add to this thread wishing Zaphod a very happy birthday today.

Bob.

A fine figure of a male, happy birthday.
John H

John Haldane wrote:A fine figure of a male, happy birthday.
John H

That is the "Zaphod Look". Zaphod doesn't rate people very much in his old age (now 11 which is the oldest recorded age for a wild meerkat).

Bob.