By Eshana Saha
Published Nov 23, 2024

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Meerkats: The World's Most Murderous Mammals

Remember Timon from The Lion King? Turns out, Meerkats, cute little African mammals belonging to the mongoose family, are vicious, baby-killing cannibals. 

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About one in five meerkats (mostly infants) are killed by members of their own species, compared with just over one percent of humans whose deaths were linked to violence, whether murder or war.

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Within their matriarchal social system, meerkats maintain a strict hierarchy; the dominant female in a group usually prevents subordinate females from mating.

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If a subordinate gives birth, the alpha female will often kill—and eat—her pups, thereby reserving more resources for her own young.

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From the moment a new matriarch inherits her status, the alpha’s size increases, her testosterone levels rise, and her hostility towards other females surges – especially those closest in age and size, namely her sisters and later her daughters.

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