Each Meerkat Has an Individual Voice

In a scientific paper published in the October 11 issue of the esteemed journal Biology Letters, researchers at the University of Zürich, in Switzerland, say that all meerkats have their own, unique voice. This helps members of the pack communicate with each other easily.

There are very few instances in nature of animals capable of recognizing each other by the sounds of their voices. This implies a high degree of adaptation to both social life and a particular environment, and many species did not remain in one place for too long during their evolutionary history.

“Understanding how animals experience the individuals within their social worlds is key to deciphering the evolution of social and communicative capacities,” the team says. Zürich ethologist Simon Townsend was the leader of the research group.

This is not the first time that researchers suspect such a connection, but designing the necessary studies to confirm this hypothesis has proven tremendously difficult, Wired reports.