There is never a dull moment in the meerkat exhibit on Elephant Mesa at the San Diego Zoo. As our meerkats grow older, they each begin to find their place in the hierarchy of the mob. Two of the females from last year’s March litter are full grown and looking to make a statement. Lately, poor Seronga has been the focus of their attention.

Over the past month or two there have been some fights, some scars, and even some blood in the exhibit. Today I observed some interesting behavior that I had to share. Meerkats, as most animals, spend a lot of time scent marking. They have a gland near their rear with which they rub on anything and everything. Every day when I change the bedding in their nest box, Ngami is there to rub herself all through the hay and scent mark on the plastic tunnel leading out of the box. When Kasane was part of the group, she used to run in after Ngami and scent mark over her spot. I am sure if I sat there and watched they would continue remarking over each other all day.

So this afternoon I watched as Marula and Damara, our two next-oldest females, decided they wanted to take Seronga’s position. They were doing a lot of posturing, which basically is standing up next to one another, pushing each other with their shoulders or heads. Another amusing behavior is when they decide they must be in the same spot as the other one, therefore displacing the other. Seronga was sitting in a food bowl today and Damara forced her way in, hoping to make Seronga jump out. But Seronga held her ground and the two of them were stubbornly sitting on top of each other, both refusing to move.

And now for the scent marking: Damara and Marula scent marked anything they could get their butt on. Literally! They even scent marked their mom and dad, Ngami and Ghanzi. I thought Ngami would get annoyed with this behavior but she did not. I am still wondering if she was aware of what they were doing. Meerkats are very physical with each other so she might not have realized she had been marked!

We shall see what tomorrow brings as far as wounds and swellings. The fighting was not as violent as last month’s episode, so hopefully they have worked it out.

On a lighter note, the litter of pups born in June is doing well (see blog, A 7th Litter of Meerkats). They had their first vaccines and made sure to give my gloves a good bite while I was holding them. True meerkats! Make sure to see the article in the October issue of ZOONOOZ about this meerkat group. It promises to be drama-filled!

Laura Weiner is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

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