They might not be cracking jokes like Timon, but I still always stop for the meerkats on my way into Gorilla Falls. At Animal Kingdom, you’ll find their little “gang” along the trail, living a life pretty darned close to what they would on the plains of southern Africa.
Meerkats build sprawling underground colonies — over 50 feet wide, with multiple levels and entrances — and above ground they live by teamwork. While most forage or dig, at least one stands sentry, scanning the horizon for hawks, jackals, or snakes. Their alarm calls are so specific that they can warn the group whether danger is coming from the sky or the ground with different sounds.
These two are clearly on duty.
Disney’s animal care team works so hard to keep life as enriching here as it could be in the wild: puzzle feeders tucked inside hollow melons or pumpkins, a varied diet of bugs and meat, and a vibrant social space where the whole family thrives together. In fact, their bonds are so strong that if one needs a veterinary checkup, the entire group goes along — because 'Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind.
How cute is that?
Taken at 400mm and cropped in a bit, 1/500 second, f/6.3, ISO 1000.