# Interspecies Haptic Sociality: An Observation of Grooming Between Two Mongoose Species

## TL;DR

Scientists observed a rare instance of grooming between two mongoose species, suggesting unusual social cooperation in a South African reserve.

## Contribution

The first documented visual observation of interspecies grooming between meerkats and yellow mongooses.

## Key findings

- Grooming behavior was observed between a meerkat and a yellow mongoose in Rietvlei Nature Reserve.
- The behavior is hypothesized to stem from phylogenetic ties, shared traits, and meerkat population decline.
- This expands understanding of cooperation among carnivores and social group dynamics.

## Abstract

Meerkats (
Suricata suricatta
) and yellow mongooses (
Cynictis penicillata
) share many behavioural characteristics and are known to, on rare occasions, live in close association through displayed cooperative vigilance and shared burrow use. Here, we describe the first visual observation of tactile social behaviour through grooming between a meerkat and a yellow mongoose in the Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa. We hypothesise that the close relationship between the two species in the reserve may be a response to a combination of phylogenetic ties, shared behavioural traits, and the population collapse of meerkats in the reserve that exposed a vacant social niche. This observation of interspecific sociality further extends our knowledge of cooperation and group augmentation among meerkats, yellow mongooses and carnivores in general.

This study presents the first visual observation of grooming between a meerkat (
Suricata suricatta
) and a yellow mongoose (
Cynictis penicillata
) in the Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa. We hypothesise that this rare interspecific social behaviour may be a result of phylogenetic ties, shared behaviours and a recent collapse of the resident meerkat population. This observation expands our understanding of cooperation and social behaviour among these species and carnivores in general.