> >> What's with the Meerkat?

> Yeah, I read the description and knew it was there on purpose, but I didn't
> know about the traditional sterotypical role. Whatever. :)

One (or more) from a group is "assigned" to stand guard looking for
trouble or danger while the others do other things. Guard duty is said
to typically last about an hour before another takes their place.
Typical stance is to stand vertically on two legs and tail and scan
the surroundings and sky.

I don't know what they'd make of wind turbines.

                              Russell

________________

eg

They often stand on their rear legs and gaze alertly over the southern
African plains where they live. Mothers can even nurse their young
while standing.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/meerkat/


Meerkats forage in a group with one "sentry" on guard watching for
predators while the others search for food. Sentry duty is usually
approximately an hour long. Baby meerkats do not start foraging for
food until they are about 1 month old, and do so by following an older
member of the group who acts as the pup's tutor.[3] The meerkat
standing guard makes peeping sounds when all is well. If the meerkat
spots danger, it barks loudly or whistles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meerkat

Photo
http://www.fellowearthlings.org/

When on guard duty, there is an entirely different assortment of
sounds employed. These sounds are constant and communicate to everyone
else what is happening during the watch.  When everything is fine, the
sentry emits mellow tones. When a predator is spotted at a distance, a
beeping sound is given, almost like a yellow alert.  If the predator
gets closer, the sound differentiates depending on the type of
predator. The martial eagle tends to get the most frantic alarm even
from great distance.   Meerkats allow some predators to get very close
before they sound the red alert (up to 100 feet from the den).
http://www.meerkats.net/info.htm
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