PRACTICE doesn’t make perfect for duelling meerkats. Vigorous play fighting as a pup does not improve a meerkat’s chances in important adult battles, dispelling the most popular theory to explain youthful brawls.
As juveniles, many animals indulge in dangerous and energetically costly battles with litter-mates or other youngsters. Biologists have often assumed the rationale behind this play fighting is to develop the motor skills and coordination necessary for successful adult fights.
For meerkats the stakes are particularly high as only the dominant male-female pair in a colony gets to breed. The others are condemned to mere nest attendant duties.
Lynda…
