Cooperative Sentinel Behaviour and its Vocal Coordination in Meerkats

Abstract

A benefit of living in groups is the potential to evolve coordinated antipredator strategies. Sentinel behaviour is a form of coordinated vigilance behaviour, where usually one individual adopts a raised position and scans the environment for the presence of predators, while the rest of the group is foraging. All adult group members contribute to sentinel behaviour, however, the extent to which each individual acts as sentinel varies greatly. Understanding the specific underlying costs and benefits of cooperative behaviours to explain Show more