It’s a meer-acle: The Living Desert welcomes two baby meerkats

The Living Desert is happy to report the birth of two healthy baby meerkats on January 21. It's the second litter for Vinny (mother) and Frenzy (father), who welcomed their first litter in 2022.

Groups of meerkats, also known as mobs or gangs, adhere to a matriarchal society: one alpha female, usually the largest in the mob, is in charge of reproduction for the group and exclusively breeds with the dominant male.

Meerkats practice cooperative breeding, meaning that the whole mob participates in caring for offspring. After birth, pups are unable to open their eyes and ears for the first ten days. The newborns stay underground in the gang's complex burrow systems and emerge at about two to three weeks old.

At over four weeks since their birth, the meerkat siblings can now be seen making appearances outside of their den! On your next trip to the zoo, make sure to stop by the meerkat habitat to catch a glimpse of Frenzy (father) taking care of the pups while Vinny (mother) stands guard.

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