OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — 3 News Now's Zach Williamson takes us back to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium to better introduce us to the meerkats in this edition of Zach at the Zoo.
- We are there for feeding time as the meerkats chow down on some of their favorites.
- The zoo's two meerkats are nine-year-old brothers Rex and Bronson.
- FUN FACT: A group of meerkats is called a mob.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Today we’re getting to know Rex and Bronson.
“They’re probably looking for the mealworms right now because those are their favorites,” Keeper Michelle Rabon explained.
“They’re really good at digging — they use their front claws to dig a lot of tunnels and look for those insects in the ground.”
These nine-year-old brothers aren’t picky eaters.
“Meerkats are actually omnivores, so they eat a little bit of everything,” Rabon said.
Though you can’t tell by their size --
“A little over a pound and that’s full size.”
Small – but brave.
Rex was on guard duty while we were there.
“There’s almost always one meerkat of the group that is on guard duty, which is what he’s doing. They will kind of sit up on their hind legs and use their tail for balance.”
Rabon continued, “They’ve actually documented different sounds for if they see a predator up in the air versus a different sound they would make if they saw a predator on the ground."
"So they can warn the whole group, and the whole group knows what’s coming after them just by the sound, and they can all kind of scatter and go hide in their holes if they feel like they’re threatened.”
A group of meerkats is called a mob – and these mobs can get pretty big.
“Yeah, they can live in groups of up to 30 individuals with several families all kind of hanging out together,” Rabon said.
And they embrace that mob mentality.
“They actually all sleep all together, and meerkat burrows can go up to six feet under ground," Rabon said. "So they have one room that’s the bathroom, and they’ll have one that’s the bedroom, and several different holes where that can access those burrows from all over the place.”
She added, “The other members of the group will actually help raise the babies, even if it’s not their baby. Kind of communal, make sure to take care of the little ones.
You can meet this mini mob for yourself – at the African Grasslands.
