Our Meerkat mob here at Taronga is very hierarchal. Bob is our alpha male, and is easy to spot (an infection in the tip of his tail at a very young age meant that vets needed to amputate most of it). It is a running joke that he’s the alpha male as all the females feel sorry for him so give him the most attention. He is a good role model for the youngsters, and is quick to resolve group conflicts that arise.

Kenya and Pretoria interchange as our dominant females, and are easy to spot as they are the biggest meerkats in the group. Pretoria weighs around 1.3kg even though she’s on a strict diet! (Average weight should be 700-800g). Dominant females are naturally bigger than subordinates.