Meerkats are highly social, cooperative mammals inhabiting the Kalahari desert. Their survival depends on complex group behaviors, which are constantly coordinated through an intricate system of vocal communication. Because meerkats are often scattered while foraging and face constant predation threats, they must maintain auditory contact to ensure the safety and cohesion of the colony. This reliance on sound has resulted in a highly structured communication system that conveys specific environmental information.
The Meerkat Vocal Repertoire
Meerkats possess a large vocal repertoire, with researchers identifying over 30 distinct call types used across various contexts. These sounds are broadly categorized based on their acoustic features and the distance over which they are used. One common category is the short-range “close call,” which includes soft chirps, murmurs, and low-frequency sounds that help maintain contact between individuals while they are digging for food.
The “short note” functions as a broadcast signal, announcing an individual’s presence without prompting an immediate reply from a neighbor. In contrast, the “close call” often results in a call-and-response exchange, acting to monitor the group’s spatial arrangement. The repertoire also includes high-frequency calls, such as squeals and chatters, associated with excitement or nervousness, alongside harsher sounds like growls and barks reserved for aggressive or highly urgent situations.
The meerkat sentinel, or guard, utilizes specific calls to communicate safety or risk from an elevated position. These “watchman’s song” vocalizations include a graded series of notes, such as single-note, double-note, and triple-note calls, which inform the foraging group that a guard is present and the area is secure. Subtle variations in these continuous calls signal a gradual change in perceived risk, allowing the group to adjust its behavior preemptively.
Decoding the Calls: Meaning and Context
The function of meerkat calls is specific, with slight acoustic variations conveying distinct information to the listener. This specificity is found in the functionally referential alarm calls, which identify both the presence and the type of predator. Meerkats use acoustically different calls for aerial threats, such as birds of prey, compared to terrestrial threats, like snakes or jackals. The aerial alarm is a rapid, high-pitched call that causes the group to immediately scan the sky or bolt for cover.
The acoustic structure of the call also communicates the level of urgency, which alters the group’s response. Within the same predator type, a high-urgency call is acoustically distinct from a low-urgency call, with the former prompting an immediate dash to the nearest bolt-hole. The most urgent alarm calls often include non-linear vocal features—unpredictable sound patterns that increase the perceived intensity of the warning. This acoustic complexity compels the receivers to react faster, potentially overriding hesitation to abandon a foraging opportunity.
Beyond predator warnings, meerkats employ “recruitment calls” to gather the group for a specific investigation. These calls are emitted when an individual encounters a stationary threat, such as a snake, a scorpion, or scent-marks left by an unfamiliar meerkat or predator. The recruitment call prompts others to approach the caller and engage in a collective investigation or defensive action. Subordinate individuals also use distress or submission calls during internal conflicts or when separated from the main group, serving to de-escalate aggression or solicit a reunion.
Communication in the Colony
The meerkat’s vocal system is integrated into the cooperative structure of the colony for coordinating group activities and managing risk. The sentinel system relies entirely on vocalizations to function efficiently, as the guard’s continuous, low-urgency calls signal an “all-clear” to the rest of the group. This vocal reassurance allows the other meerkats to decrease their individual vigilance and focus more time and energy on foraging.
If the sentinel detects increased danger, they switch from calming, single-note calls to more urgent “warning calls,” causing the foraging group to increase vigilance before a full alarm is necessary. This subtle vocal coordination ensures the group maintains alertness relative to the current environmental risk. When the colony needs to move to a new foraging area, “move calls” or “follow-me calls” coordinate the relocation.
The constant emission of close calls during foraging creates a dynamic “vocal hotspot,” an area of high calling activity that guides the movement of distant individuals. Colony members use this pattern of sound to adjust direction and maintain spatial cohesion, which is useful when terrain or dust limits visual contact. Pups acquire this complex communication system through social learning, gradually developing their repertoire and learning the appropriate context by interacting with older, experienced group members.