Captive Meerkats Essay

Great Essays
Sentry behaviour in captive meerkats (Suricata suricatta)

Amy Spies
746773

Abstract
Sentry duty is an important social behaviour in which guards scan the surrounding area for potential threats. In species such as meerkats, this behaviour is so instinctive that they continue to perform it even in captivity. The aim of this study was to establish an understanding of the sentry behaviour in captive meerkats. This was done by observing meerkats in the Johannesburg Zoo and determining the behaviour of both sentries and non-sentries. Results showed that sentries were mostly adults, occupied high vantage points, scanned the sky more frequently, engaged in resting and foraging most commonly after duty and the time without a sentry was minimal. Results also showed that non-sentries foraged slightly more than they were vigilant. This indicates that sentry duty may be a state-dependent behaviour and that it allows non-sentries to relax their vigilance and forage more. Understanding how captivity affects behaviours like sentry duty is important for conservation, particularly reintroductions.
Key words: sentry, captive, meerkats, behaviour, conservation.
…show more content…
This, together with the fact that the sentry makes vocalizations announcing its presence to other group members, allows other members to relax their vigilance behaviour and maximize their foraging efficiency (Price, 2003). However, sentinels may in fact benefit from early detection of predators and since foraging increases the longer a guard is on duty, this behaviour may not be entirely cooperative (Bednekoff, 1997; Wright et al., 2001). In species such as meerkats, this behaviour is so instinctive that they continue to perform sentry duty even in captivity where the predation risk is virtually non-existent (Hollen and Manser,

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    The Unredeemed Captive is the factual telling of the Deerfield Massacre and the ways it effected the Williams family who lost their daughter as a captive to the Bear tribe of the Mohawk Native Americans. The book deeply explores religion and how it relates to the ideas of savagery and family through comparison of experiences in the lives of the Puritans and the lives of the Native American captors. The Deerfield Massacre occurred in 1704 in Massachusetts. The massacre was carried out by a tribe of Native Americans in retaliation against French and English attacks. The small town of Deerfield was raided and about 112 people were taken captive with 47 more being slain on the spot.…

    • 1775 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Herd Mentality Tiger Breedlove GMC As human beings, we seem to be the at the top of the food chain solely based on our superior intelligence. We have evolved to a point of self-awareness with a desire to learn and better ourselves intellectually. However, we still cannot shed some of our more instinctual traits, such as our needs, fears, and reproductive desires. Moreover, there are certain psychological traits that are similar to those of the rest of the animal kingdom.…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chickadees Research Paper

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Many different animals develop different strategic foraging behaviours to survive the winter months. The black-capped chickadees (Parus atricapillus) are a songbird that can be observed throughout North America and remain year round even during the cold winters (Templeton, Greene, & Davis, 2005, 1935). During the winter the chickadees form an average flock size of about six to eight, but this number can vary (Templeton, Greene, & Davis, 2005, 1935). In the flock there is a social hierarchy and the dominant individual demonstrates certain behaviours such as vocalizing, bluffs threat, chasing, displacement or fighting to state its dominance (Barkan, 1990, p. 393, Hartzler, 1970, p. 429; Odum, 1942, p. 521). Dominance in a black-capped chickadee is observed when one individual known as a subordinate submits to the dominant individual that is perceived to be more prevailing in…

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Have you ever wanted to work along side of many different exotic animals? Then the Shy Wolf Sanctuary is the right place for you. Since opening their doors to the public to volunteer in 1999 Nancy and Kent Smith have provided loving care to many exotic species and also the possibility for volunteers to connect with a form of nature not many can say they have had to ability to encounter. Shy Wolf’s mission is to “reconnect people and animals through education.”…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Animal Cruelty In Zoos

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Imagine a young helpless animal being taken from its home in the wildlife and held in captivity, behind bars and gates, held a prisoner to the world. Each year, thousands of animals are ripped away from their homes and their families and are used for entertainment. Zoos are a popular attraction for kids and adults; it gives people the opportunity to get up close and personal with some their favorite animals. Zoos even allow people to feed and pet the animals, which make zoos very well-liked and enjoyable amongst all the animals’ lovers. What people tend to overlook when visiting these zoos is all the nutritional and emotional deprivation the animals go through each day, nor does anyone know the animal cruelty that goes on when the zoos are closed.…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Fur Seal Pups Essay

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The mother’s calling activity was also measured on the same days and seemed to correlate with the trend of the pup-calling pattern (Trillmich, 1981). The results from…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Velvet Gecko Essay

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Do Velvet Gecko (Oedura lesueurii) Exhibit Specialized or Generalized Anti-Snake Behavior? The main question this study asked was do velvet geckos discriminate amongst snake species and display antipredator behaviors according to the ‘threat sensitivity’ hypothesis (i.e. in a graded fashion depending upon the degree of threat posed by a particular snake species)? The authors hypothesized that velvet geckos should display general antipredator behaviors to the scent of syntopic elapid snakes, irrespective of how frequently they are encountered, or the degree of threat they pose (in line with the ‘multipredator’ hypothesis).…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Ten Trusts Analysis

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Each trust is like a step you must take to protect the animal kingdom. Through these trusts, a human’s cruelty can be transformed into compassion for all living beings. The authors want us to respect the interconnection through all living species. Every day humans harm the natural world more, without realizing the damage they are causing. The purpose of The Ten Trusts is to change your perspective on how we live on this planet.…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Boa Constrictor

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages

    These nocturnal animals are comfortable being held in captivity, but they are mostly not domesticated animals. This specie of reptiles is very high strung and protective of themselves. They react to the scents or vibrations of their surroundings and strike when they feel threaten. The…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Primate Observation

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The goal of this project is to examine the effects of naturalistic housing in Zoos such as the Louisville Zoo and how it affects them in cognitive activity. The increasing need of Zoos providing naturalistic housing for such animals is a necessity to prevent failure to thrive. Observations on primates in these naturalistic housings and use of cognitive activates can provide a captivating understanding on the species and select individuals. Visit and Observation This researcher went to the Louisville Zoo on November 6, 2015 to visit and observe the Gorilla Sanctuary.…

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Wolf Pack Structure

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages

    One of the things that distinguish different members of the wolf family (Canis lupus) is the distinctive development of social behavior (Gleason, 2013). Wolves belong to a family or group often referred to as a pack. This structure was originally thought to allow the wolf, a social predator, to take on prey many times its size. New theories, however, are emerging suggesting that the pack strategy maximizes reproductive success and has less to do with hunting (Gleason, 2013). For centuries the wolf has captured the imagination of different cultures and rooted itself in scientific intrigue (Mech, 1999).…

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    From zoos, to aquariums, to petting zoos, and even our own pets, humans have always been fascinated by animals, and have gone to certain extents to use them for learning purposes, preservation, survival, companionship, and occasionally entertainment. Menageries allow people to learn about animals from a safe distance and see some animals which they would never have seen if it were not for wildlife parks. Many argue that captive animals are not happy in their environment, and should be set free from zoos in their natural habitat. Although many find captivity cruel and unnecessary, having animals in captivity is beneficial to our society as well as to captive animals because when done right, endangered species are protected and well taken care of, people are able to experience beautiful wildlife,…

    • 1172 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    My hands are empty. I look for something. Anything. I'm trapped like a feral creature. All I see around me is darkness, swallowing me up like I’m in a small room.…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    If an adult sees a predator such as was indicated by the younger vervet's alarm call; the adult will then take up that alarm call himself. This scenario reinforces the correct use of alarm call on the part of the younger vervet. Conversely, Cheney and Seyfarth observed that infants typically respond to alarm calls by first looking to an adult in their group. Infants that did not look to an adult upon hearing an alarm call made more incorrect responses to the alarm call, thus increasing their chances of getting killed. These observations suggest vervets learn to produce and respond to alarm calls by modeling their behavior after the adults in their group.…

    • 1780 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Animal Welfare Essay

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the world today, people cannot do without animals because they have become an essential part of human existence to both vegetarians and meat eaters. Some animals serve as pet, and some serve as food, and others are used for sports and laboratory experiments. Although some animal activist advocates for animal rights, there are limits to that right because animals cannot be equal with human. They don’t have the intellectual ability that humans have to take responsibilities and control what happens around them. These animals are important in the society and the need to treat them with respect is paramount.…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays