At KMP, each meerkat group has a range of about 5 square kilometers with 5 to 6 sleeping burrows"

" Digging is what meerkats do and they do it masterfully. IN ABOUT A MINUTE, a meerkat can dig a hole big enough to disappear into" (C. Bidstrup, "Kindred Spirits of the Kalahari"/KMP website)

"...the average tenure of females that acquire dominant status and breed at least once
(31.5 months) is longer than that of males (17.4 months)..." (Clutton-Brock, et al)

... Analysis of ‘immediate reciprocity�?(whether the groomee returned grooming of the groomer within the grooming bout) showed that subordinate females reciprocated more frequently than subordinate males when the dominant female initiated grooming. However, the dominant female reciprocated subordinate females less frequently than she did subordinate males. This suggests that the need to placate the dominant female may be higher for subordinate females than for subordinate males, possibly because of the risk of eviction caused by reproductive conflict between females.

"Both sexes of meerkats approach adult weight and foraging success by the middle of their second year of life" (Clutton-Brock, et el)

Typically meerkats chatter to reject or fend off other meerkats. This is usually seen when males approach the dominant female and sniff her. It is difficult to ascertain a precise function for the behaviour but it is apparently fairly rude as the animal chattered at typically moves away. This is a repetitive, high-pitched ke�?ke�?ke�?ke ‘ke sound, made in relation to various interactions including play, submission, sex and food competition. (Earthwatch Field Guide)

"...In their first 2 months of joining the group while foraging, meerkat pups are fed by older group members. During this period, pups follow potential feeders closely and emit continuous REPEAT CALLS to solicit food. On seeing a feeder locate food, they immediately change from repeat calls to more intense HIGH PITCHED calls. The use of these two vocalisations may be an adaptation to the constraints imposed by the need for mobile pups to follow potential feeders, as opposed to being brought food in a den or nest" (Manser, et. el)

-heat index is what the air will feel like. the meteorologist combine the amount of humidity with the temperature and amout of rainfall to calculate what the air will feel like.