A Joyous Return—San Diego Zoo Celebrates the Birth of Four Meerkat Pups
Shaka, the fierce matriarch of the slender-tailed meerkats at the San Diego Zoo, has welcomed four babies. These pups are the first litter at the zoo in six years.
The mother is doing well and has a healthy appetite since she is nursing four kids. She has great maternal instincts, checking the underground tunnels to ensure they’re safe and enlisting other members of the mob (large group of meerkats) to take turns babysitting the pups and teaching them how to be meerkats. The pups spend their days nursing or eating, practicing digging, playing with one another, and relaxing in the underground burrows.
Meerkats have a matriarchal society with one dominant female and male that produces most of the pups. The large mob allows for not just safety in numbers, but also offers companionship. Mobs are made up of mostly family members and spend a lot of time grooming and playing together to keep a tight unit, helping them survive.
Standing at a foot tall, adults take turns acting as sentry while the others safely look for food without concern. When on guard, a meerkat will climb to a high vantage point, stand upright on two legs and use its tail as a kickstand for balance, then call out if they spot danger.
Meerkats are also known to skillfully kill and eat venomous snakes and scorpions without being hurt, considering they have some immunity to the venom. As desert dwellers, they are able to survive without drinking water and get the moisture they need from roots and fruit.
Today, guests can see Shaka, the new pups and the rest of the mob in their habitat at Conrad Prebys Africa Rocks. Head to sdzwa.org to learn more about our Savanna Conservation Hub and how to become an ally for wildlife.
Category: Animals, Local News, Nature, Nonprofit
