Tiny meerkat pups have been born at the San Diego Zoo for the first time in six years

Four baby meerkats have arrived at the San Diego Zoo in the first birth of the tiny members of the mongoose family in six years.

According to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the mother, named Shaka, is doing well and has a healthy appetite.

Zookeepers said Shaka showed great maternal instincts, checking underground tunnels to make sure they were safe and hiring other members of the mob – the large group of meerkats – to help guard the pups. The pups spend their days eating, digging, playing with each other, and relaxing in underground dens.

Meerkats live in a matriarchal society with a dominant female and a dominant male who produce most of the young. The large mob provides security and companionship and is primarily made up of family members who care for and play with each other to survive.

Adults, about 30 cm tall, take turns acting as guardians while others forage for food without fear of danger. When alert, a meerkat will climb to a high vantage point, stand upright, use its tail for support to maintain balance, and then call out when it sees danger.

Meerkats are also skilled hunters; They can kill and eat poisonous snakes and scorpions because they have some immunity. As desert dwellers, they can survive without drinking water and obtain the moisture they need from roots and fruits.

Shaka and her pups can be visited in their habitat, Conrad Preby's Africa Rocks.