Meerkat sentinel communicating with pack - 4K stock video

Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) sentry on guard, communicating with its pack that all is well. Meerkats, or suricates, rely heavily on vocal communication to co-ordinate their activities according to their surrounding ecological situation, such as the risk of predation. One meerkat takes up a raised position on a termite mound or tree branch, where it sits erect and watches out for danger. Its constant reassuring calls allow the others to spend more time digging and hunting. If the sentinel sees a predator approaching, it alerts the others with a high-pitched call, and the pack scatters for cover. Pack members take turns doing this in no particular order. They do not, however, act as sentinels before they have eaten their fill, benefitting first from the early warning. Filmed in the Auob riverbed of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in Southern Africa