Sentinel behavior in captive meerkats (Suricata suricatta)

Abstract

The social and cooperative behavior of meerkats (Suricata suricatta), specifically their sentinel behavior, has been intensively studied in free-ranging populations. This study focuses on whether guarding in captive meerkats exhibits a pattern similar to that described for wild groups. Sentinel behavior in captivity has been somewhat neglected because predation is usually not a critical factor. Nonetheless, observations in captivity might reveal whether individual or group experience influences this specific behavior pattern. We observed three captive meerkat groups (in outdoor as well as indoor enclosures) and analyzed the duration of guarding sequences, the number of established guards, the guard posture, and the individual guard positions. We also conducted playback experiments to investigate the reaction of the sentinel and the group to bird calls (songbird vs. predatory bird species). The results demonstrated that captive groups behave much the same as wild groups. Certain individuals performed the guard job more often than other group members. Accordingly, the “super sentinels” observed in the wild also exist in captive groups. Playbacks showed that the sentinels reacted more strongly to the calls of predatory bird species, indicating that captive meerkats are able to categorize bird calls. We also documented major differences in behavioral responses to the calls of specific predatory bird species. Our observations underline that sentinel behavior is probably a combination of an innate, imprinted pattern that is further affected by the experience. Future studies might further investigate this influence of experience, beyond innate behavior, on the group-specific sentinel behavior pattern in captive meerkats.