Meerkats and ground squirrels, oh my!

Gregarious, but a little grouchy, Cape ground squirrels look as much like cartoon characters as they do good neighbors.

But in 2009 two scientists from the University of Zurich studied alarm calls produced by meerkats (member of the mongoose family) and Cape ground squirrels that live in balance on the Kalahari Desert.

The context is important here. Cape ground squirrels eat plant matter they find close to home, and are known to use an alarm call that denotes only a level of urgency. Meerkats eat insects and other small animals requiring them to venture farther from the safety of their dens, and are known to use an alarm call that includes such information as predator type, and advice (called referential). On the Kalahari, while each make alert calls that match their context, the truth is they all run for cover, escaping down bolt holes into burrows made by the squirrels.