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In the animal kingdom, creatures that rely on four legs to move around (called quadrupeds) exhibit some interesting behavior. During key moments, quadrupeds stand up on their hind legs and use their tails to balance. This stance, called the tripod stance, improves observation, surveillance, foraging, and even fighting. One such animal that adopts this positioning is the meerkat.
This cute, bite-sized member of the mongoose family resides in the grasslands and deserts of southern Africa. Their look is characterized by brown-striped fur, small, pointed faces, and large eyes. A heavily social animal, the meerkat lives in matriarchal family units ranging between 3-50 residents. When the day hits and it’s time to find food, meerkats emerge from their underground burrows and stand in formation. But why? Watch the video above, and then we will explore the topic further. (Discover the key differences between mongooses and meerkats.)
Why Do Meerkats Stand Up?

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As the morning dew begins to evaporate, meerkats emerge to hunt for their favorite foods, which include beetles, scorpions, caterpillars, and spiders. When they can’t find these selections, they will eat fruit, plants, small reptiles, and bird eggs. Since meerkats are small, even delicate, they require the help of their companions to stay safe during foraging and hunting expeditions.
While meerkats set out looking for food, their companions form a standing group. Typically, the guarding meerkats will perch on a high vantage point, stand on their hind legs, and scan the environment for predators like hawks or jackals. Called a sentry, this meerkat (sometimes several) provides a necessary safeguard against dangers that lurk on the African savannah. When a sentry meerkat senses danger, they apprise their companions by letting out a high-pitched call or squeal. This sends the foraging and hunting meerkats running for cover.
Safety in Numbers

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Since meerkats are so small and nimble, they rely on large groups of family members to keep their communities safe. This constellation of meerkat family units is called a mob. The mobs work harmoniously to protect meerkats on food expeditions as well as the young. While several meerkats emerge from their burrows each day to find food and watch for predators, another selection of meerkats stay in the burrows and babysit the newborn pups.
When several meerkats occupy the sentry position, they stand up together. This gives a sense of power, and resolve, and makes predators less likely to mess with them. The sentries climb to the highest point in the environment, be it a rock, bush, or termite mound. To announce their sentry duty, meerkats sound out with a specialized call. Known as the “watchman’s song,” this low and constant peeping noise lets all meerkats in the area know that the coast is clear.
When the sentry spots a predator, it alerts its companions using unique barks and whistles. Furthermore, sentry meerkats have distinct calls for predators on land and predators soaring through the skies. If the sentry sees a predator, it raises the alarm, and all the exposed meerkats run for cover to the nearest burrow or bolt hole. Remarkably, meerkats memorize the location of thousands of bolt holes in their habitat. That way they can find safety quickly if danger lurks in their midst.
If the sentry alarms fail to deter predators, the meerkat or meerkats will huddle together tightly on their hind legs. This provides the meerkats some safety in numbers as they look fiercer and more of a problem to mess with. When the tripod stance fails to protect, sentry meerkats might kick up dust to create cover. (For more information, discover 10 essential facts about meerkats.)
Fighting Stance

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Besides protection from predators, meerkats stand up for the sake of dispute. Meerkats may live in large family units, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have rivalries. Equipped with scent pouches below their tails, meerkats use these glands to mark their territory.
Inevitably, meerkat mobs will come across territorial overlaps with other mobs. Though cute and delicate, meerkats are known as very aggressive fighters. When two territories collide, meerkats from either side of the line will fight–sometimes to the death.
Much like humans, meerkats fight battles by lining up across a field. From there, they charge at each other with tails rigid and held high in the air. In the process, many meerkats stand on their hind legs to adopt an aggressive posture. When that fails to intimidate, they will arch their back and thrust their rear legs in the air akin to a bucking horse. If one side stands up mightily enough, it will intimidate the rival side and effectively end the conflict.
Meerkats are smart, shrewd creatures that use their physiology to their advantage. Standing up, or adopting a tripod stance, allows meerkats to surveil their environment, guard their burrows, and look bigger than usual. It’s an effective tactic that’s helped meerkats flourish throughout Southern Africa. (For more information about these creatures, learn about what meerkats eat.)
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