Researchers map meerkat chit-chat [View all]

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“The first sound, a 'close call,' is like a call-and-response exchange between the animals," as postdoctoral researcher Vlad Demartsev from the Cluster of Excellence Collective Behavior describes. "When one meerkat calls, a neighbor is likely to reply," he adds. "Whereas the second call, named a 'short note,' announces 'I am here' but doesn't necessarily get a direct reply from communication partners."

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Staying in a group is crucial for meerkats and they use multiple mechanisms which evolved to avoid getting separated. "When meerkats are by themselves there is a higher chance of predation or harassment by other groups. Generally, meerkats therefore try very, very hard to stay together," says Demartsev.

Full article https://phys.org/news/2024-05-meerkat-chit-chat.html