0:00:18 > 0:00:21Meet Squirt and Weeny.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23And their proud mum, Klinky.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29They belong to one of the most famous families on the planet.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36True celebrities and a global phenomenon.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43They're part of a dynasty that has led to hours of television,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46films and even their own fan club.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49I love them so much,
0:00:49 > 0:00:51because they are full of love
0:00:51 > 0:00:52in their daily life.
0:00:56 > 0:01:02Behind this popularity lies a truly remarkable 20-year field study.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07A ground-breaking project
0:01:07 > 0:01:10started by a scientist who wanted to find out
0:01:10 > 0:01:14what meerkats can teach us about cooperation.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It's taken two decades, and some remarkable experiments,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26to unravel the mysteries of their complex lives.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Enabling us to understand
0:01:31 > 0:01:35and appreciate the challenges facing the likes of Klinky
0:01:35 > 0:01:37and her celebrated clan.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53These people are in love.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05They've travelled thousands of miles to be here,
0:02:05 > 0:02:06in the Kalahari Desert,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08in Southern Africa.
0:02:08 > 0:02:14As soon as the TV series Meerkat Manor was broadcast in 2005,
0:02:14 > 0:02:19the meerkats were catapulted to international stardom.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21I love the meerkats.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24I love to be around them, walk with them
0:02:24 > 0:02:27and, you know, watch what they do every day.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32I do believe they have characters and personality.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36It's interesting to people who are not researchers,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38but who just love the animals.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43They cooperate together, work as a team
0:02:43 > 0:02:45and just like a human family.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Some members of the Appreciation Society have gone
0:02:49 > 0:02:53to remarkable lengths to express their affection.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58The first one I painted actually is Flower. She is a superstar,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02I believe, for most people that know her and she's my favourite.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05The second one I painted, she is Mozart.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Unfortunately, she cannot have a good family.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11So I painted her in heaven with her boyfriend and finally,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13they have a kid together
0:03:13 > 0:03:16to form a really good and happy family.
0:03:16 > 0:03:22No-one can doubt that meerkats have become truly global celebrities.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27And now, in the Kalahari, there are a new set of stars in the making.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39This is the Kung Fu clan.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49A 30-strong group of meerkats.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54One female rules a meerkat clan
0:03:54 > 0:03:58and in charge of the Kung Fu is eight-year-old Klinky.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Her loyal partner is Ningaloo.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15He and Kinky have been together for most of their lives,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18they have a powerful bond.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28It's the beginning of the dry season.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33Baking days are followed by freezing nights.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35In the early morning light,
0:04:35 > 0:04:36they stretch out
0:04:36 > 0:04:38and warm up their frozen bones.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43The 30-strong members of the Kung Fu
0:04:43 > 0:04:45are made up of Klinky and Ningaloo's
0:04:45 > 0:04:47sons and daughters.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51And there are more on the way.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Klinky is pregnant.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Her next litter of pups is due in just six weeks.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07She'll need plenty of help to raise her youngsters
0:05:07 > 0:05:09in the unforgiving dry season.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25But needs must,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and the group will soon set out
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and see what they can dig out of the sand.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37ALARM CLOCK RINGS
0:05:42 > 0:05:44At the Meerkat Project base,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48the core team of graduate volunteers are getting ready for a new day.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54They are at the heart of what has grown into one of
0:05:54 > 0:05:58the most comprehensive studies of animal behaviour ever undertaken.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04It's a highly organised operation with PhD students
0:06:04 > 0:06:08and visiting professors and a core team of 12 volunteer researchers.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26They are setting out into the desert to find, record,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29and weigh members of the 18 meerkat groups
0:06:29 > 0:06:33which are dispersed over 39 square miles.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35The researchers are careful
0:06:35 > 0:06:38that any interaction they have with the meerkats
0:06:38 > 0:06:41affects their behaviour as little as possible.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46The team must let the animals get on with their lives.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Even so, it's hard not to get attached.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57Don't worry. Come on.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00'You try to be, of course, scientific'
0:07:00 > 0:07:02and not get involved with them
0:07:02 > 0:07:04but no, of course, they have different personalities
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and that's the amazing thing of meerkats,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09and...humanising them to a certain point.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15It's a kind of a 'pinch yourself' kind of moment
0:07:15 > 0:07:17that I'm actually doing this.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21I feel very lucky.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Come on. Out you go.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31None of this would have existed without the work
0:07:31 > 0:07:35of Cambridge zoologist Professor Tim Clutton-Brock,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37a world authority on animal behaviour.
0:07:39 > 0:07:45Since 1993, he's been at the helm of the Kalahari Meerkat Project.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46HE HUMS
0:07:46 > 0:07:50His mission in this study is to discover exactly
0:07:50 > 0:07:54what makes the meerkat the most cooperative mammal on Earth.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59This walking home with the group in front of you,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03walking back in the evening, always seems like an enormous privilege.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06HE HUMS
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Tim had been searching for the right animal to study
0:08:13 > 0:08:15for quite a while.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16And it was a television programme
0:08:16 > 0:08:20that first sparked his interest in meerkats.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27'No bigger than a tassel on a lion's tale,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30'a meerkat stands tall.'
0:08:37 > 0:08:41I saw a film called Meerkats United,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45and I realised that meerkats were exactly what I was looking for.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52A really cooperative mammal, where I could learn to recognise individuals
0:08:52 > 0:08:54and see what everyone was doing.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57He was hooked.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05So I headed off to the Kalahari and my life changed.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Life is also about to change for the Kung Fu clan.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Before Klinky led the group out to forage,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23there's a problem to be dealt with.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Her family are on edge.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Even partner Ningaloo stays out of the way.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Pregnant Klinky is on the warpath.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Klinky spots her daughter Mrs McGee.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05She has decided that her days in the group are numbered.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Mrs McGee is about to be banished.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15She tries to protect herself
0:10:15 > 0:10:17by being submissive to her mother.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24It's not going to help.
0:10:34 > 0:10:35Klinky bites her viciously.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Mrs McGee is not wanted.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Klinky is merciless.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Two more daughters get the same treatment.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Klinky is banishing into exile
0:11:14 > 0:11:17any daughters who are or could become pregnant.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23But then, she spots something.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Bebe, the weakest of these daughters,
0:11:28 > 0:11:29is trying not to be noticed.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34She almost gets away with it.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56Klinky wants to make sure the group raises just one set of offspring -
0:11:56 > 0:11:57her own.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01They're all fighting for limited resources,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04any competition would put Klinky's pups under threat.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06She won't let that happen.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Klinky has driven four of her daughters out of her family.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17They watch forlornly from a safe distance.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Life for them in exile is going to be tough.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24However brutal this seems,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Klinky is prepared to go much further
0:12:27 > 0:12:31to protect her unborn pups, if she needs to.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43Tim Clutton-Brock's decision to work with meerkats led him here,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46to the Southern Kalahari, in 1993.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Eventually, he and his team discovered an empty farm
0:12:51 > 0:12:54on the border between South Africa and Botswana.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05In this desolate environment, he saw at first-hand
0:13:05 > 0:13:07how meerkats could be the perfect mammal to study,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10IF you could get close to them.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14The environment is so open that when I saw them, I thought,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17"Wow, here you can really see everything that they're doing."
0:13:17 > 0:13:21If only it were possible to habituate several different groups,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23then we could really get on top
0:13:23 > 0:13:26of answering important questions about them.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Habituation is the process of getting an animal
0:13:30 > 0:13:35to become so completely unafraid of you that you are ignored.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40HE HUMS
0:13:40 > 0:13:43If Tim could manage this, he could get close enough to study them
0:13:43 > 0:13:46without the meerkats minding.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Meerkats don't make friends with strangers easily
0:13:53 > 0:13:58and there are no shortcuts when it comes to breaking into their world.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02It would take the team years of walking amongst the meerkats
0:14:02 > 0:14:06in the bush, always announcing themselves with a gentle hum.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09HE HUMS
0:14:09 > 0:14:11I can still see them in the distance
0:14:11 > 0:14:13and they're not actually running away yet.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15But they're gradually moving off.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20And if I kept pressing them, they would run quickly.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24So what I'm trying to do is to tell them that it's me.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26HE HUMS
0:14:26 > 0:14:29I'm not trying to hide from them at all.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34After thousands of hours of hard graft,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36they could now get to within a few feet of a number
0:14:36 > 0:14:38of meerkat families.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40HE HUMS
0:14:40 > 0:14:42It was a remarkable achievement.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Now, the work could begin.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55If the meerkats were truly cooperating,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58each individual member of the group would be doing better
0:14:58 > 0:14:59than if they were living on their own.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03To test this theory,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Tim needed to measure the costs and benefits of them helping each other
0:15:06 > 0:15:10by measuring if they were gaining or losing weight.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14How was he to get the meerkats to agree to that?
0:15:18 > 0:15:23He began by trying to lure them with every food he could think of.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Anything that might tickle a meerkat's taste buds.
0:15:28 > 0:15:29Mealworms.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30Chicken.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Peanut butter.
0:15:32 > 0:15:33Condensed milk.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39We tried everything we could find to see if they would eat it...
0:15:45 > 0:15:47..but they weren't interested at all.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Despite Tim's best culinary efforts,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57the meerkats turned up their noses at everything.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04The team had noticed that there was one food
0:16:04 > 0:16:08that they would go all out to get hold of -
0:16:08 > 0:16:10plover's eggs.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13It led them to try something new.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17For plover's eggs, Tim tried hen's eggs.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22We thought we'd see whether they were interested
0:16:22 > 0:16:23in the contents of the eggs.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32But what we found out was that
0:16:32 > 0:16:35they weren't in the slightest bit interested.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45But then, Tim saw meerkats devouring a hen's egg
0:16:45 > 0:16:47that had cooked in the sun.
0:16:51 > 0:16:58In the end, our lives changed totally when we discovered this.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04After two years of valiant failures,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07this was a eureka moment.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Crumbs of boiled egg don't change the meerkats' behaviour in the wild,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13but they do make them cooperative.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21This discovery was the kick-start the Kalahari Meerkat project needed.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26SHE HUMS
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Hey, my love, come!
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Hello, my love, yum-yum.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37More researchers began to join Tim on his project.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Now, they could begin to gather proper data on the meerkats.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47When working with a group,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50they would weigh an individual three times a day.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53When they get up, at midday
0:17:53 > 0:17:56and just before they went to sleep.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59With radio collars, they would never be lost.
0:17:59 > 0:18:05All the individuals were given their own codes and computer files.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07And names.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Now, Tim could start to find answers to his big questions.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Why does a meerkat actually want to live in a group?
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Why do they help each other out?
0:18:24 > 0:18:27And when they do, how do they know what job to do?
0:18:27 > 0:18:29The study could now get underway,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33all because of the meerkats' love of a tiny snack.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49At the Kung Fu, with the threatening females out of the way,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Klinky leads her group into the increasingly dry
0:18:52 > 0:18:54and unforgiving bush.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02On the surface, there's little for them here, in this ancient desert,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05but Klinky is an experienced hunter.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11If they dig through enough sand, they'll find sufficient grubs
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and scorpions to feed them all for the day.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30However, the Kung Fu aren't simply predators.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32They're also prey.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42There is a real danger of death descending from the skies.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49But meerkats have an early warning system.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52The sentinel.
0:19:54 > 0:19:55Their job is to keep a lookout
0:19:55 > 0:19:59so the rest of the Kung Fu can keep their eyes down
0:19:59 > 0:20:01and focus on finding food.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18When Tim first came across the meerkat sentinel, he was fascinated.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24HE HUMS
0:20:24 > 0:20:26With his trusty boiled egg,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28he investigated how devoted
0:20:28 > 0:20:30they were to their task.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35I'm going to show you something that I tried, 20 years ago, to show this.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40I'm going to offer this guy some of his favourite food, some egg.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46The meerkat has a job to do
0:20:46 > 0:20:47and won't be swayed.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51He's on duty, he's watching for predators
0:20:51 > 0:20:54and his mind is obviously fixed on that.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56He's just not interested in other things.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00It's vital for meerkats
0:21:00 > 0:21:04to have a fully-focused sentinel on guard at all times.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Foraging meerkats glance up at the sentinel occasionally
0:21:09 > 0:21:11to check it's still there.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17They quickly notice if no-one appears to be on duty.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Tim is recreating an experiment to show this.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Very slowly.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25Very slowly.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31We are now going to block their view of the sentinel
0:21:31 > 0:21:35so they can't actually see whether the sentinel's on duty.
0:21:43 > 0:21:44From the group's point of view,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47it looks as though the sentinel has vanished.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54They are concerned and will react.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02There's someone over there now
0:22:02 > 0:22:05who's going up on sentinel duty to replace him.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Individuals put themselves up for sentinel duty,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15usually after they've had a good meal.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Tim proved this by feeding individuals
0:22:19 > 0:22:22with extra hard boiled egg.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26As a result, they were happy to spend longer on watch.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Sentinels look up at the sky for threats,
0:22:31 > 0:22:32but they'll also spot danger
0:22:32 > 0:22:34closer to the ground.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46And working as a group,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50they can together intimidate many of the most dangerous animals here.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Even a predator that can kill them, such as a cobra.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15They stay just out of striking distance.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And, eventually, the cobra feels outnumbered.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Cooperation is at the heart of what they do.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Every member of the family has an important role to play,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36so why does the dominant female
0:23:36 > 0:23:40throw out some important members, such as her daughters?
0:23:52 > 0:23:55The dry season is beginning to bite,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58and the Kung Fu females driven out by Klinky are desperate.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09They hang around on the fringes,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13perhaps hoping that Klinky might tolerate their return.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19But she has no intention of doing so.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28The evictees are stressed.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Over the last few days, they've lost weight.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37As a small group,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40there are too few of them for one to act as a sentinel.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45When they're out foraging,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48they are vulnerable to being picked off by predators.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55But Klinky is tough.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05She pulls together the rest of her group, who are under her spell.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08There's no room for sympathy.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14To chase away the daughters,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17the Kung Fu war dance
0:25:17 > 0:25:19in a fearsome display of solidarity.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47The outcasts scurry away into the desert,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49driven back into exile.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04As Tim's volume of data increased,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06so the natural order behind the meerkats'
0:26:06 > 0:26:07apparently brutal behaviour
0:26:07 > 0:26:09began to reveal itself.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Dominant females evict their daughters
0:26:14 > 0:26:17when they reach breeding age - around three years old.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Females that enforce this system
0:26:23 > 0:26:26can rear up to 80 pups over the course of their lives.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28And a big group equals strength
0:26:28 > 0:26:31when defending your territory.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36The lengths to which a dominant female will go
0:26:36 > 0:26:39to control her daughters and retain her power knows no bounds.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49It's dusk at the Kung Fu burrow.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53After a long day, the chance for the family
0:26:53 > 0:26:54to groom and bond.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Their attention has been grabbed by intruders.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Klinky's outcasts still haven't given up,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14they are now trying to find a way back,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16under cover of twilight.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Klinky has clocked them.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42The tribe joins together
0:27:42 > 0:27:44and war dance towards the outcasts,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46to deter them.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56Once more, Klinky's daughters will have to find somewhere else
0:27:56 > 0:27:58to spend the night.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Klinky has driven them out to put them under pressure,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15especially those that may be pregnant.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22The stress of survival outside the group means evicted daughters
0:28:22 > 0:28:25will often give birth to their pups prematurely.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32If Klinky chances upon any live-born young, she will kill them.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35Infanticide.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40However brutal this seems, Klinky knows
0:28:40 > 0:28:43that if any of her daughters continued their pregnancies,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45they might try to kill her own pups,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48so it pays to be aggressive.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52In future, her daughters will be of use to her,
0:28:52 > 0:28:55but for now, they're nothing but a threat.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Ten years in, Tim and his team
0:29:04 > 0:29:09had increased the number of habituated meerkat groups to 15
0:29:09 > 0:29:12and they'd monitored the complete life histories
0:29:12 > 0:29:14of nearly 1,000 individuals.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18A community in the desert had become a hub
0:29:18 > 0:29:20of world-class scientific activity.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25The study branched out into new areas,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28involving scientists who had worked here as students.
0:29:28 > 0:29:33They started to tackle questions based on Tim's previous research.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39One of the first things he had noticed was that meerkats
0:29:39 > 0:29:41talk to each other all the time,
0:29:41 > 0:29:43making a huge range of calls.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51And that raised questions about what they were saying to each other,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53and what the calls meant.
0:30:04 > 0:30:09Professor Marta Manser is a research biologist at Zurich University.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13She was Tim's first PhD student on the project.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20She set about investigating meerkat communication
0:30:20 > 0:30:23with a series of ingenious experiments.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31If you put it here, behind the bush.
0:30:35 > 0:30:40Props are set up before the meerkats emerge from their sleeping burrows.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09Live predators would be difficult to use
0:31:09 > 0:31:13so, instead, Marta chose the next best thing.
0:31:19 > 0:31:20MEERKATS TRILL
0:31:23 > 0:31:26She recorded their alarm calls and discovered the meerkats
0:31:26 > 0:31:30had developed a series of call types, a kind of language,
0:31:30 > 0:31:34to warn the others of how close a predator is.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38THEY TRILL
0:31:38 > 0:31:40And what type it is.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44TRILLING INTENSIFIES
0:31:51 > 0:31:55MEERKATS BARK
0:31:59 > 0:32:00As the jackal gets closer,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03the meerkats identify the ground predator
0:32:03 > 0:32:06and prepare for an emergency.
0:32:08 > 0:32:09Marta spent several months
0:32:09 > 0:32:13presenting various predators to see if the calls were different.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18THEY BARK
0:32:18 > 0:32:21She even launched a jackal into the air
0:32:21 > 0:32:23to see if meerkats' calls
0:32:23 > 0:32:26distinguish between ground and aerial predators.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31The results of that experiment were inconclusive,
0:32:31 > 0:32:35but her other revelations to date have been remarkable.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45Meerkats have evolved a complex warning system.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47TRILLING
0:32:47 > 0:32:51The sounds they make to warn of aerial or terrestrial predators
0:32:51 > 0:32:54change as the threat grows closer.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05TRILLING INTENSIFIES
0:33:10 > 0:33:12BARKING
0:33:16 > 0:33:20Marta and her colleagues have discovered that the meerkats
0:33:20 > 0:33:25are speaking with a complex repertoire of calls.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28The messages they send each other are distinct
0:33:28 > 0:33:31and the meaning is very clear.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33Play them your choice of recording
0:33:33 > 0:33:35and you can predict exactly how they will react.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39CHIRPING
0:33:39 > 0:33:41GROWLING
0:33:45 > 0:33:46This sound means
0:33:46 > 0:33:49"bird of prey approaching fast."
0:33:49 > 0:33:53CHIRPING INTENSIFIES
0:34:06 > 0:34:08It's quiet at the burrow.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Klinky has not surfaced.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15Soon, it's clear why.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34At last, Klinky has given birth to her precious pups -
0:34:34 > 0:34:36Squirt and Weeny.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40They have been underground for 14 days.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44And today, they emerge into the sunshine for the first time.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49Their eyes have only just opened.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55In front of them is their first view of their new home.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58The harsh but beautiful Kalahari.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21The family has grown in other ways too.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Three days after the pups were born,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31Klinky allowed her evicted daughters back into the group.
0:35:33 > 0:35:34Now that she's had her pups,
0:35:34 > 0:35:36the females are no longer a threat.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Quite the opposite.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43They're put to work straightaway,
0:35:43 > 0:35:45as babysitters to Squirt and Weeny.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51These females are often able to provide milk,
0:35:51 > 0:35:53so as well as keeping a lookout,
0:35:53 > 0:35:55they suckle the new pups.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57In return, they enjoy the safety
0:35:57 > 0:36:00of being part of a big group once more.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04They take 12-hour shifts
0:36:04 > 0:36:06and are so dedicated to the job
0:36:06 > 0:36:09that they won't leave the pups for a minute,
0:36:09 > 0:36:10even if they are starving.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17But the calm is soon shattered.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23Klinky has spotted something suspicious.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29The family leaps into action.
0:36:29 > 0:36:30Everyone has a role.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34The babysitters move quickly to protect the pups.
0:36:37 > 0:36:38Her daughters are useful now,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41but they've brought trouble in their wake.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Three roving males from a rival group
0:36:47 > 0:36:50are looking to mate with Klinky's daughters.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56These are unwelcome visitors.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03If they break into the group,
0:37:03 > 0:37:06they could even try to overthrow her partner, Ningaloo,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08and disrupt the Kung Fu.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Klinky's pups would be at their mercy.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18The stakes couldn't be higher.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36Klinky is on the offensive, backed up by Ningaloo.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42The rest of the family follow.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47The males slink away.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56For now, the Kung Fu have dealt with the threat.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01But the roving males could be back at any time.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11The meerkats are so comfortable having observers around
0:38:11 > 0:38:13that, simply by being amongst them,
0:38:13 > 0:38:16the team can discover the most remarkable things.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Unlike the females, male meerkats begin to leave their families
0:38:21 > 0:38:24when they are three years old -
0:38:24 > 0:38:27they can't mate with their sisters.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29At this time, they visit other groups
0:38:29 > 0:38:32and Tim has always wanted to understand
0:38:32 > 0:38:34how these roving males get on.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37HE HUMS
0:38:37 > 0:38:41The rover has got his eye on a female from a rival group.
0:38:43 > 0:38:44It's a risky business.
0:38:46 > 0:38:51He is being chased repeatedly by the males from this group.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53And if they can catch him,
0:38:53 > 0:38:55there's a danger they'll kill him.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58So rovers that get too close
0:38:58 > 0:39:00and get caught by the opposition,
0:39:00 > 0:39:02not uncommonly get killed.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05So they're quite jumpy.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07And, as you can see, they're...
0:39:07 > 0:39:10a bit careful about being seen, so they tend to go
0:39:10 > 0:39:13creepy-crawly and then, look out all the time.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19But he's absolutely not thinking about feeding,
0:39:19 > 0:39:21his mind is on sex.
0:39:22 > 0:39:28Roving males are so overcome with lust that they rarely stop to eat.
0:39:34 > 0:39:39They can spend days at a time chasing the object of their desire.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44But it's a risk worth taking.
0:39:46 > 0:39:47He'll just stay on the edge
0:39:47 > 0:39:50and keep coming and keep going again,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53and he'll try and get access to one of the females behind a bush.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02This rover has pushed his luck too far
0:40:02 > 0:40:05and has disturbed a male foraging on the edge of the group.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08His cover is blown.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16Ah, look, here the group is in war dance,
0:40:16 > 0:40:20so the group are now actually taking this seriously
0:40:20 > 0:40:23and instead of one male chasing him,
0:40:23 > 0:40:25the whole group are now chasing him.
0:40:30 > 0:40:35To a meerkat, a whole group war dancing is extremely intimidating
0:40:35 > 0:40:39and it's not difficult to understand why he keeps his distance
0:40:39 > 0:40:42when the whole group have their eyes on him.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47A dominant male's only chance of breeding
0:40:47 > 0:40:51is to leave his own group and either join or found another one
0:40:51 > 0:40:53with unrelated females.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59The chances of success are slim,
0:40:59 > 0:41:02but a male meerkat has to make a go of it,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05if his particular genetic line isn't to die out.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10THUNDER RUMBLES
0:41:12 > 0:41:15A storm, swollen with rain, passes overhead.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20It should signal the end of the dry season
0:41:20 > 0:41:23and bring the first rains of the year.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38By night, a huge electrical storm threatens.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58But the clouds haven't let go of their rain.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06As the temperature rises, a drought is imminent.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16The Kung Fu are still waiting for the rains to arrive.
0:42:20 > 0:42:25Pups Squirt and Weeny are now six weeks old and fully weaned.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31They need to find solid food somewhere in this bone-dry desert.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41They accompany their family on foraging trips,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44but they're still too young to catch their own food.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52They make endless begging calls,
0:42:52 > 0:42:56but their parents, Klinky and Ningaloo, don't respond.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00THEY TRILL
0:43:00 > 0:43:02They're not being ignored.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05THEY TRILL
0:43:12 > 0:43:14In the newly restored family,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17there are 25 other meerkats available to help.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33The subordinate helpers give away
0:43:33 > 0:43:36up to half the food they catch.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44They look after the pups' needs as much as their own.
0:43:53 > 0:43:58But Squirt and Weeny won't always get this much help.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04Over the next two months, they will have to learn to feed themselves.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16As Tim's project grew in size,
0:44:16 > 0:44:19the researchers who joined the team
0:44:19 > 0:44:21were rapidly moving into new areas.
0:44:23 > 0:44:27It was clear that a complex form of cooperation is at the heart
0:44:27 > 0:44:28of the meerkat family.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32Now, some of the scientists wanted to look at things
0:44:32 > 0:44:35like innovation, learning and tradition.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39Over the last ten years,
0:44:39 > 0:44:42Dr Alex Thornton has designed a series
0:44:42 > 0:44:47of tests to try to find out how information spreads through meerkat
0:44:47 > 0:44:50societies and how they innovate.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57I designed a series of innovation tasks to look at which individuals
0:44:57 > 0:45:00in groups would be likely to innovate solutions to new problems.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07In this experiment, a scorpion is served to a meerkat
0:45:07 > 0:45:10in a modified lunch box.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14To get to the snack,
0:45:14 > 0:45:17its instinct is to try and take route one
0:45:17 > 0:45:19through the clear plastic walls.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26But some meerkats can learn to put aside that instinct
0:45:26 > 0:45:28and take a different approach.
0:45:31 > 0:45:32There's another way in.
0:45:32 > 0:45:33Turn the lid.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38In fact, the individuals that were likely to solve them
0:45:38 > 0:45:42were low-ranking subordinate individuals, and particularly males.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47Dominant individuals were able to get food by stealing,
0:45:47 > 0:45:48so they don't need to innovate.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51It's the low-ranking individuals that need to innovate
0:45:51 > 0:45:54because, essentially, necessity is the mother of invention.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59And especially the males, because it's the males
0:45:59 > 0:46:01who will leave their natal group,
0:46:01 > 0:46:03to go and look for breeding opportunities elsewhere,
0:46:03 > 0:46:07so they're really going to face hardship when they leave.
0:46:07 > 0:46:08And it pays for them
0:46:08 > 0:46:11to try and figure out new ways of getting food.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20In the desert, a meerkat has to be very inventive
0:46:20 > 0:46:24and eat just about anything it can get its paws on.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Millipedes, lizards,
0:46:26 > 0:46:27sand frogs and even snakes
0:46:27 > 0:46:29are all on the menu.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44If a meerkat had a choice,
0:46:44 > 0:46:47it'd go for a scorpion every time.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53It has a nasty sting and tough claws,
0:46:53 > 0:46:56but it's packed full of protein.
0:46:58 > 0:47:03Over time, the meerkats have worked out exactly how to take them on.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Where to hold them down.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08Where to crunch.
0:47:15 > 0:47:20To Squirt, it looks like a game and he wants to join in.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30But not yet.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44Alex was fascinated by how quickly meerkats learned
0:47:44 > 0:47:46to solve quite tricky problems.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52Over the years, various studies suggested
0:47:52 > 0:47:56that the young of some species are taught problem-solving by adults,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59but it had never been clearly demonstrated.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03If it could be proved with meerkats,
0:48:03 > 0:48:06it would mean that meerkats could do something that, at the time,
0:48:06 > 0:48:10had only ever been observed in one other mammal -
0:48:10 > 0:48:11humans.
0:48:14 > 0:48:19Squirt and Weeny need to learn how to kill a scorpion for themselves.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22So the older helpers are going to teach them.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28The first step is for the teacher to remove the sting
0:48:28 > 0:48:31and then leave them to tackle a live but harmless scorpion.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42When they can handle that, the next step is to teach them
0:48:42 > 0:48:46how to bite the sting off a live scorpion for themselves.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52At the time, it was an important discovery
0:48:52 > 0:48:53because it was the first evidence
0:48:53 > 0:48:55that wild animals do teach.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58It was commonly thought that teaching was something that
0:48:58 > 0:49:00happened only in human societies.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03So by finding evidence for teaching in meerkats,
0:49:03 > 0:49:06we could begin to start to piece together a puzzle
0:49:06 > 0:49:08of how teaching might have evolved,
0:49:08 > 0:49:11so we were able to look at how the meerkats teach.
0:49:12 > 0:49:14Now that Alex had pieced this together,
0:49:14 > 0:49:17he began to look at another intriguing aspect
0:49:17 > 0:49:19of meerkat behaviour.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25Just like us, they have different levels of enthusiasm
0:49:25 > 0:49:27about leaping out of bed in the morning.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31It's not just the parents
0:49:31 > 0:49:34who struggle to get their pups out of the burrow.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38For whole families, there's a tradition of early rising
0:49:38 > 0:49:42or having a lie-in that never changes, even over years.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45And it's passed down
0:49:45 > 0:49:47from generation to generation.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51Over a period of more than a decade,
0:49:51 > 0:49:54we'll find that one neighbouring group will get up late,
0:49:54 > 0:49:56another neighbouring group will get up early.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58And, in fact, we can almost set our alarm clocks by it.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01So just as you don't have afternoon tea in France,
0:50:01 > 0:50:02but you do in England,
0:50:02 > 0:50:06the meerkats show specific traditions to their groups.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12Once he had discovered one tradition amongst meerkats,
0:50:12 > 0:50:15he wanted to see if other traditions could be passed
0:50:15 > 0:50:17from individual to individual.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21So he devised an experiment to test this.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27He wanted to know if a meerkat could recognise a shape for a reward,
0:50:27 > 0:50:29and if other meerkats
0:50:29 > 0:50:32could learn to follow this new tradition.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35So what we did is that in some groups of meerkats,
0:50:35 > 0:50:38we trained one individual, who we called the demonstrator,
0:50:38 > 0:50:40out of sight of everyone else
0:50:40 > 0:50:43to approach one of the letters but not the other.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47Each letter has the reward
0:50:47 > 0:50:51of egg crumbs buried in the sand next to it.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54With an alternative choice of water if they want it.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58The demonstrator is taught to go
0:50:58 > 0:51:01to the letter Y to find his treat.
0:51:03 > 0:51:04What Alex found was that when
0:51:04 > 0:51:07other untrained meerkats first arrived,
0:51:07 > 0:51:10they ignored their own natural instincts
0:51:10 > 0:51:12to dig up food where they could smell it.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21Instead, they followed the lead of the first meerkat
0:51:21 > 0:51:23towards the letter Y,
0:51:23 > 0:51:27establishing a new tradition by social learning.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32Just like a fad for a new nightclub or restaurant,
0:51:32 > 0:51:38the letter Y soon becomes THE place to be.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49It's the worst drought of the decade,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52and the Kung Fu are in the middle of it.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55Almost no rain for 12 months.
0:51:56 > 0:52:01Pups Squirt and Weeny are nearly three months old.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04In the parched earth, there's little food to dig for.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08The family are growing thin.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22Strong winds sweep across the stricken land.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30As they surge over the Kalahari, they whip up huge dust storms.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56The Kung Fu are nervous.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01They are disorientated
0:53:01 > 0:53:03and lose touch with each other.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09The storm sends them fleeing in all directions.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47The storm finally passes.
0:53:47 > 0:53:52But in the chaos, the group have become split up.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54They are desperate to find each other.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02Eventually, Klinky comes across one of her pups.
0:54:02 > 0:54:03It's Squirt.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07But his brother Weeny is missing.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Klinky spots another group.
0:54:29 > 0:54:30Are they rivals?
0:54:33 > 0:54:35She doesn't quite know whether
0:54:35 > 0:54:38to lead her diminished family into battle or to flee.
0:54:43 > 0:54:44But as they come closer,
0:54:44 > 0:54:46they recognise each other.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53It's the rest of their family.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09Squirt and Weeny are reunited.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20The Kung Fu have survived the worst drought for ten years.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26Squirt and Weeny are learning how to look after themselves...
0:55:28 > 0:55:30..and Klinky has all her family around her.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35As they rest at sunset,
0:55:35 > 0:55:37they are through the worst.
0:55:38 > 0:55:43The pups are now successfully through their most vulnerable stage.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45And together again as a big group,
0:55:45 > 0:55:47they are better placed than most
0:55:47 > 0:55:50to survive whatever challenges are set to come their way.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55HE HUMS
0:55:58 > 0:56:03Today, millions of people know and love these meerkats.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05HE HUMS
0:56:05 > 0:56:06Just me...
0:56:06 > 0:56:09HE HUMS
0:56:11 > 0:56:15But their superstar status only came about because of the patience
0:56:15 > 0:56:18and perseverance of Tim and his team.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25Every time I come back to the Kalahari after a time away,
0:56:25 > 0:56:29it always strikes me as a magical experience
0:56:29 > 0:56:33to be accepted into the middle of a group of animals like this
0:56:33 > 0:56:37so that you can watch them going about their normal behaviour,
0:56:37 > 0:56:38their natural lives.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40And at this distance,
0:56:40 > 0:56:42you can see things going on
0:56:42 > 0:56:46that you'd never see if you were sitting 100 metres away.
0:56:48 > 0:56:53During the past two decades, their observations have led us
0:56:53 > 0:56:56to understand some remarkable truths about meerkats.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02Not just how they cooperate,
0:57:02 > 0:57:05but the personality of each individual member.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18In this harsh and challenging environment,
0:57:18 > 0:57:22individuals cannot make it on their own.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27For meerkats, finding enough to eat and raising pups
0:57:27 > 0:57:29is the work of many.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34And because meerkats mate for life,
0:57:34 > 0:57:37their helpers are their own children.
0:57:37 > 0:57:41The kids are helping to raise their full brothers and sisters.
0:57:54 > 0:58:00It makes sense for families to stick together and to cooperate.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02Because in the harsh Kalahari,
0:58:02 > 0:58:05it's cooperate or die.
0:58:31 > 0:58:34Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd