That’s essentially the cooperative breeding system of meerkat groups, in which one dominant male and female monopolize the mating and pup-bearing. What helps that female keep her coveted position?

The zoo welcomed four new meerkat pups, two male and two female, born on Feb. 11. Their parents are 2½-year-old mother, Naomi, and the sire, 3-year-old Tebogo, who both arrived at the zoo last ...

A subordinate female meerkat babysits her mother's young; an iconic example of cooperative behavior in mammals. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news ...

Meerkats are cooperative breeders. This is commonly a species where there is only one breeding male and one breeding female in each group. There is also “a pile” of what is usually their ...

Belfast Zoo has welcomed the arrival of four new meerkats. Visitors have this week been able to spot the animals after they were moved into a new habitat at the north Belfast visitor attraction on ...

Meerkats have incredibly complex behaviour ... The lack of major age differences within the female and males means there isn’t an obvious hierarchy. Instead the female who wants to be alpha ...

Dominant female meerkats ensure their social group helps with child care by evicting females and killing other pups. (Photo courtesy Sophie Lanfear / BBC) “Animal mothers are always trying to ...

It comes after the arrival of two meerkats to Belfast Zoo in January ... of up to 50 individuals with one female alpha who will be the only female in the group that will mate.