Recognition of prey odor in wild meerkats

Although mongooses are well-known to use odor cues in social communication, whether they also use olfaction in foraging is unknown. In this study, I investigated the olfactory ability of wild meerkats to recognize prey items that vary in frequency in their diet. Meerkats aged from 28 days to 2 years were presented with cotton-buds scented with common prey (larvae), less-common prey (scorpions, crickets), non-prey (dung beetles) or a control (no scent). Biting behavior and time spent sniffing the cotton-bud were recorded. Meerkats bit cotton-buds that smelled of larvae more often than cotton-buds that smelled of non-prey or control. They bit cotton-buds that smelled of crickets or scorpions at an intermediate rate. Meerkats’ age and sex did not affect the response. Hence, meerkats can discriminate the odor of their prey from the odor of non-prey items, and tend to show preference for frequent prey over less-common prey. Furthermore, meerkats may use olfactory cues for short-distance detection of prey, but experiments are needed to determine the specific phases of the foraging process where olfaction is involved.