Plot: A part documentary, part soap opera, the series follows the daily life of several meerkats in the Whiskers group. Several other groups, such as Commandos and Vivian, regularly come in contact with the Whiskers, often with violent results. Yet, drama also occurs within the group itself. Flower, the original dominant female, shamelessly uses aggression to ward off all up-and-coming meerkats, including her own daughters. Likewise, Zephod, Flower's main mate, must constantly battle to maintain his position within the group. Additionally, all the meerkats must defend themselves against hunger, whether, and predators. Eventually, Flower is replaced by her daughter, Rocket Dog, as the dominant female. Yet, the drama of the desert-dwelling meerkats continues.
Genre: Documentary, Documentary Series, Animals
Reading Level: Not rated, but predation and infantcide does occur, so younger viewers may need to be cautioned.
Similar Titles: Nature, March of the Penguins
Personal Thoughts: After viewing a few episodes, the popularity of the show does not surprise me. The series balances drama, characterization, and biology nicely. However, some of the terms seem to anthropomorphize a bit too much. For those unfamiliar with the term, "anthropomorphizing" means to give an inhuman object (such as an animal) human-like qualities. While many shows utilize this to attract the audience, it seems like a stark contrast to the book that the series spawned.
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