To show context appropriate antipredator behaviour, animals require information about a predators' motivation to hunt, and consequently the level of danger to which they are exposed at any given moment. In addition to deterring a predator, mobbing behaviour, in which animals approach a potential predator, might also provide information useful in predation risk assessment. Here we present the results of an experimental study on meerkats (Suricata suricatta), which showed mobbing behaviour in a variety of predator contexts. Groups were presented with a number of predators of varying threat levels, and with non-threatening animals. Responses to these stimuli by the different individuals in the groups, and vigilance behaviour before and after each presentation, were compared. Meerkats seemed to use mobbing not only to deter predators, but also to gather information about potential threats and adjust their behaviour accordingly. In particular, mobbing of nondangerous animals indicates the role of this behaviour in contexts other than just directed towards predators. Differences between age categories suggest that mobbing changes with experience, and may allow young to learn about predators by observing adults. We conclude that mobbing has a broader function beyond predator deterrence, and facilitates situational risk assessment on which subsequent decisions may be based.

No abstract

No abstract

The majority of carnivore species are described as solitary, but little is known about their social organization and interactions with conspecifics. We investigated the spatial organization and social interactions as well as relatedness of slender mongooses ( Galerella sanguinea ) living in the southern Kalahari. This is a little studied small carnivore previously described as solitary with anecdotal evidence for male associations. In our study population, mongooses arranged in spatial groups consisting of one to three males and up to four females. Male ranges, based on sleeping sites, were large and overlapping, encompassing the smaller and more exclusive female ranges. Spatial groups could be distinguished by their behaviour, communal denning and home range. Within spatial groups animals communally denned in up to 33% of nights, mainly during winter months, presumably to gain thermoregulatory benefits. Associations of related males gained reproductive benefits likely through increased territorial and female defence. Our study supports slender mongooses to be better described as solitary foragers living in a complex system of spatial groups with amicable social interactions between specific individuals. We suggest that the recognition of underlying ‘hidden' complexities in these apparently ‘solitary' organizations needs to be accounted for when investigating group living and social behaviour.