Camera-Shy Baby Meerkat
Japanese photographer mamekori15’s twitter profile is full of photos of baby animals. On a recent visit to Inokashira Natural Cultural Park in Musashino City, Tokyo, mamekori15 captured photos of an adorable meerkat family and its newborn pups. (1, 2)
One of the meerkat babies was especially adorable. At first, it was camera-shy and peeked halfway out from around a column at the photographer. However, it eventually emerged from hiding to give the camera full view of its sweet face. The photographer also took photos of the other pups snuggling and playing with adult meerkats. (1, 2)
Image Source: https://twitter.com/mamekoro51
Meerkat 101
Meerkats are small mammals that weigh up to 2.2 pounds. A meerkat’s head and body generally measure from 9.75 to 11.75 inches, while their tails 7.5 to 9.5 inches long. They can be found in various countries in Africa. (3)
Meerkats are most easily recognized by their upright posture. The little creatures can stand on their two hind legs, and mothers can even nurse their pups while standing. (3)
They are very cooperative and work together to avoid predators and find food. A few individuals will be on lookout duty, ready to alert the rest of the group to birds of prey. The other meerkats forage for food, including insects, lizards, birds, and fruit. (3)
They are community-oriented animals, and several families often live together in a series of underground burrows. The burrows consist of several rooms connected by tunnels. Because they are underground, they stay cool even when it is boiling hot above ground. (3)
Female meerkats give birth to two to four babies a year. Continuing their theme of cooperation, the fathers and siblings help raise the young. They teach them how to hunt and forage, as well as how to avoid the threat of birds of prey, like hawks and eagles. (3)
Inokashira Natural Cultural Park
Inokashira Park Zoo, where mamekori15 photographed the meerkat family, is located in Musashino City, a suburb of Tokyo. In addition to the meerkats, the zoo boasts a plethora of Japanese species. It is dedicated to the conservation and breeding of Japanese squirrels, mandarin ducks, and swans. (4)
An Asiatic elephant and tropical birds also live at the zoo, as well as Amur cats, Japanese serows, rhesus monkeys, and raccoons. Red-crowned cranes and Yaku deer roam freely around the center of the zoo. (4)
The Inokashira Park Zoo is also proud to have been the home to Hanako, the first Asiatic elephant to come to Japan. She arrived after World War II and passed away on Mary 26, 2016. The zoo’s maps still indicate where she lived. (4)
Additionally, the zoo has special features, such as the Aquatic Life House. Visitors can see Japanese freshwater fish and insects inside. And nearby the Aquatic Life House, they can observe ducks, geese, swans, and cranes. The Inokashira Park Zoo has a breeding program to help increase the numbers of mandarin ducks in the wild. Besides the Aquatic Life House, the park has a botanic garden, the library owned by Japanese poet Ujo Noguchi, and the Seibo Kitamura Museum. Kitamura was a Japanese sculptor. (4)
