Alex Thornton with a meerkat in the Kalahari Desert.

Research Fellow compares the meerkats in BBC2 documentary

An academic from Biosciences is to feature in an episode from the BBC Two series ‘Natural World’ later this month.

Dr Alex Thornton has spent ten years examining how meerkats learn from one another and acquire new skills. Earlier this year he returned to the Kalahari Meerkat Project in South Africa to discuss his findings with the BBC team.

The meerkats of the Kalahari Meerkat Project have achieved great fame through the long-running ‘Meerkat Manor’ TV series. As Principal Investigator for the Wild Cognition Research Group, Dr Thornton’s research has helped unravel how these charismatic creatures learn crucial life skills from their elders and shown that, just as in human societies, meerkat groups have local traditions that spread as individuals learn from one another.

The episode will feature Dr Thornton demonstrating the experimental techniques he has used throughout his research, and discussing his findings alongside other meerkat researchers.

‘Meerkats Revealed’ will air on Friday 11th October 2013 at 9pm on BBC2.

Date: 2 October 2013

Read more University News