when a matriarch dies, perhaps at the talons of a hawk or a rival meerkat gang. The top job then falls to the oldest and heaviest female in the group, most likely one of the matriarch’s daughters. From the moment a meerkat inherits her supreme status her size increases, her testosterone levels rise and her hostility towards all other females will surge. She will demonstrate particular hostility towards those that are closest to her in age and size – most probably her sisters – and who therefore make up her greatest reproductive competition.
