Intrasexual competition and sexual selection in cooperative mammals

Article Abstract:

We use data from a twelve-year study of wild meerkats are used to show that females gain greater benefits from acquiring dominant status than males and traits that increase competitive ability exert a stronger influence on their breeding success. The findings reveal that sex differences in parental investment are the only mechanism capable of generating sex differences in reproductive competition.

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Play does not enhance social cohesion in a cooperative mammal

Article Abstract:

The social cohesion hypothesis of play asserts that the adaptive function of social play is to strengthen affiliative ties between group members thereby increasing cohesion within the social group. However, a study revealed that the behavior of young meerkats failed to fulfil this hypothesis and concluded that social play is unlikely to have the capacity to promote social cohesion in mammals.

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Meerkat helpers do not specialize in particular activities

Article Abstract:

The development of cooperative behavior in female helpers in meerkats, Suricata suricatta, an obligately cooperative mammal where young produced by the dominant female are reared by up to 30 helpers is described. The studies reveal that meerkat helpers do not specialize in particular cooperative activities.

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