|
|
Article: Meerkat pups grow fatter with extra adults.(cooperative breeding and raising of the young discovered in the meerkats of Africa)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- September 29, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Like children begging treats from indulgent grownups at a party, meerkat pups get fatter when they have more adult meerkats to pester for food.
That conclusion arises from a bit of managed foster care, explains Timothy Clutton-Brock of the University of Cambridge in England. He and his colleagues are studying the many cooperative behaviors within groups of the arid-land mongoose Suricata suricatta, which pokes around for beetles and other small prey in Africa.
Researchers knew that big groups of meerkats tend to raise hefty pups. However, it was unclear whether the advantage came from more care or lusher territories, Clutton-Brock says. He and his ...