Meerkat

Cooperation is the key to meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

survival. All members benefit if a group is large and healthy, providing more sentinels and greater power to resist encroachments by neighbouring groups. A mother must forage each day to keep up her milk supply and her mate guards her, so other group members take turns in providing nursery care. All groups post sentries to look out for eagles, cobras or other predators. On sighting a threat the guard, with its distinctive upright stance, calls an alarm and every meerkat within earshot dives underground. To reassure the group that is still on watch the guard keeps up a low, steady peeping. The meerkat eats beetles, insect larvae, scorpions and small reptiles.