Multi-tasking in meerkats: Guarding while collecting scientific data

This meerkat is equipped with a small audio-GPS collar recording its vocalisations and displacements continuously a few hours per day for a week. Here, the dominant male is sitting high up on a tree trunk to scan the surrounding environment for predators while other individuals of the group are foraging. Sensors in the collar provide synchronized acoustic and behavioral data to better understand dynamics and cohesion in meerkat groups.
by Mathilde Martin