用法学习: 1. do (sth) up I. 系上, 系好. 扣上 to fasten something or become fastened: Can you help me to do up my dress? Do your shoes/laces up before you trip over. These trousers must have shrunk - I can't do the zip up. Why won't this zip do up? You don't need to do up the top button. a. [intransitive] if clothes do up in a particular way, they fasten in that way. The dress does up at the back. II. [transitive] British to repair, paint, and improve an old building, car, boat etc. It's a lovely cottage, but it needs doing up a bit. We spent our weekends doing up a 1934 Rolls Royce. III. [transitive] British to wrap something in paper or cloth in an attractive way. He held a small parcel done up in coloured paper and ribbon. IV. [transitive] [usually passive] to tie or arrange your hair in a particular way. Her shiny dark hair was done up in a ponytail. V. [transitive] [usually passive] to dress someone in special clothes or put make-up on them. She had spent hours doing herself up for the party. (all) done up: Angie was done up in a silky black dress and fishnet stockings. 2. hook 卖点, 看点, 有趣的点, 吸引人的点 US Slang a. A means of attracting interest or attention; an enticement. something that attracts or is intended to be an attraction: a sales hook. The new season of Revenge is coming back tonight, the hook is who shot Emily in the new season . soft off I. The complete opposite of a hard on. It wasn't coined by that other douche bag. It was on "I hope they serve beer in hell". Anyway. It's when ur dick is 6900 percent flaccid. Not a hard on. When a dick can not get enough blood flow to make sex or handys fun. "I did too much coke to have sex. I had a soft off the whole time." "When she took everything off I sported a soft off". That bitch is so ugly that I got a soft off when she walked in to this titty bar. II. 软关机 "Soft off" can mean two things: either it means shutting down normally (i.e. shutting down through your OS rather than holding down the power button of your computer) or it can refer to a standby mode. I would guess in this case it refers to standby. It depends hugely on your motherboard but the most common standby mode nowadays is S3 (suspend to RAM). This shuts down all components apart from the RAM, so it consumes virtually no power and makes no noise, but can startup and be where you left it almost instantly. Suspend used to be a gimmick, now its actually a very useful feature. If you're going away from your computer for long enough not to leave it on but you don't want to lose what you're doing, just put it into suspend mode. 3. load-out the loan to another motion-picture studio of a player under contract in exchange for money or the services of another player. 球员租借: In sports, a loan involves a particular player being allowed to temporarily play for a club other than the one he is currently contracted to. Loan deals may last from a few weeks to all season-long and can also be for a few seasons. Players may be loaned out 出借给, 租借给 to other clubs for several reasons. Most commonly, young players will be loaned to a club in a lower league in order to gain valuable first team experience. A club may take a player on loan if they are short on transfer funds 转会费 but can still pay wages, or as temporary cover for injuries or suspensions. The parent club might demand a fee and/or that the loaning club pays some or all of the player's wages during the loan period租期. A club might seek to loan out a squad player to make a saving on his wages, or a first team player to regain match fitness following an injury. A loan may be made to get around a transfer window转会期. Such a loan might include an agreed fee for a permanent transfer when the next transfer window opens. Some players are loaned because they are unhappy or in dispute with their current club and no other club wishes to buy them permanently. In the Premier League, players on loan are not permitted to play against the team which holds their registration (section 7.2 of rule M.6). This means that one of the 'big' clubs can loan out a promising young player to an opposing team in the Premiership but the loanee will not be allowed to play against his 'owning' club and his parent club will not be able to observe how he plays against a 'big' club. Loanees are, however, allowed to play against their 'owning' clubs in cup competitions, unless they have played for their owning club in that cup during that season. 4. 关于房价暴跌(崩盘crash, bubble burst)理论Aussie property could drop 50% - US demographer predicts hit to Aussie home prices: Australia'S real estate market is in a bubble that will burst and wipe out up to half the value of property, a leading US economist has predicted. Harry Dent has predicted a range of economic events including the 2008 global financial crisis, pointed to falling affordability in Melbourne and Sydney where prices are ten times the average income. "Bubbles ultimately peak when the people buying can't afford to buy it," Mr Dent said. The bubble would burst after a crash in the stock market and would be linked to an anticipated crash in the Chinese property market. Mr Dent, who headlines a Secure the Future event in Sydney and Brisbane later this month, said most global markets, from London to a number of US cities, would also face market reductions. "Value growth in Melbourne and Sydney for the last six months has been pretty unsustainable, but six months isn't long enough to do that (form a bubble)," he said. "If we did see a high growth rate continue to the middle of 2014, that's where you are starting to get into alarming territory." 5. take the words out of someone's mouth 正是我要说的, 说的太对了, 和我想的一样, 我也正想这么说 Fig. to say something just before someone else was going to say the same thing; to say something that someone who agrees with you might have said. to say exactly what someone else was going to say or what they were thinking I was just going to mention that, but you took the words right out of my mouth. That is exactly right! You took the words right out of my mouth! When you said "expensive," you took the words right out of my mouth! (You) took the words right out of my mouth. Inf. Fig. You said exactly what I meant to say before I had a chance to say it, and, therefore, I agree with you very much. Bill: I think she's old enough to know better. Tom: You took the words right out of my mouth. Mary: This movie is going to put me to sleep. Jane (yawning): You took the words right out of my mouth. 6. speak from something to draw authority or credibility in one's speaking from something such as knowledge or experience. Believe me, I speak from experience. Listen to her. she speaks from a lot of knowledge and training. speaking from experience 我是经历过的所以知道, 过来人 adv informal what I have learned personally is that. ego 自尊, 自我 one's image of oneself; morale: to boost one's ego. Roy Keane has accused his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson of having a
'massive ego' and of being focused on control. Obviously the stage at
Brierley Hill Civic was not large enough to accommodate their inflated
ego过度膨胀的自我. Such actions might produce results which satisfy the ego, but
have little to do with our renewal as relating beings. Do you really
believe that fragile egos脆弱的自我 could hold together long enough for some mass
movement to have got this far. Understanding people, massaging egos安抚自我,
playing politics is what you must be good at. The failure to agree a UN
mandate for the war was poisonous debacle which left bruised egos all
round伤了自尊. The fledgling ego has to create itself by its own efforts, aided
by its subconscious mind. stroke someone's ego Fig. to flatter and praise someone. If you have trouble with him, just take a few minutes and stroke his ego. You'll soon have him eating out of your hand. an ego trip something that you do in order to make yourself feel important. Running the university Film Society is a big ego trip for her. superego (psychoanalysis) The part of the mind that acts as
a self-critical conscience, reflecting social standards that have been
learnt. the part of the personality representing the conscience, formed
in early life by internalization ( internalize (transitive) To make something internal; to incorporate it in oneself. To take in and make an integral part of one's attitudes or beliefs: 内心吸收. 被潜移默化. had internalized the cultural values of the Poles after a year of living in Warsaw. ) of the standards of parents and other
models of behavior行为模范. 7. send off 红牌罚下 (sports) To show someone a red card, and dismiss them from the playing area; a red-card. England secured their place at Euro 2012 with a scrambled draw in Montenegro - but Wayne Rooney was sent off and will miss the start of the tournament.
Virgin Atlantaic停飞香港到悉尼: The decision to end flying to Australia after almost 10 years will be a fillip ( fillip [ˈfilip] I. 利好因素, 刺激因素. something that adds stimulation or enjoyment. An embellishment that excites or stimulates: "Spritely tabasco onions, just a little crunch for the top, were an added fillip" (Alison Arnett). II. the action of holding a finger towards the palm with the thumb and suddenly releasing it outwards to produce a snapping sound. A snap or light blow made by pressing a fingertip against the thumb and suddenly releasing it. 打响指. vb. I. (tr) to stimulate or excite. II. (tr) to strike or project sharply with a fillip. III. (intr) to make a fillip. ) for Virgin's rivals on the route, Qantas and Hong Kong flag carrier旗舰航空公司 Cathay Pacific. Virgin Atlantic chief executive Craig Kreeger said external factors 外部因素 such as increasing costs and a weakening Australian dollar had affected the airline's profitability on the route. "These are still difficult times for the airline industry and as part of our strategy to operate more efficiently, we need to deploy our aircraft to routes with the right level of demand to be financially viable 可生存的, 有机会成功的(I. Capable of living, developing, or germinating under favorable conditions. II. Capable of living outside the uterus. Used of a fetus or newborn. III. Capable of success or continuing effectiveness; practicable: a viable plan; a viable national economy.)," he said. A spokeswoman said it would take up to a month before it was known how many staff would be made redundant as a result of the decision to ditch services to Australia. The airline's final flight from Sydney to Hong Kong will be on May 5, and it advised passengers booked to fly on its services after that date to contact it or travel agents to discuss alternatives. When Virgin Atlantic first began flying to Sydney in December 2004, Sir Richard talked up 大谈 the possibility of his airline eventually flying to other Australian destinations including Melbourne with A380 superjumbos. But those plans never came to fruition从来未能开花结果, and more recently the airline has faced intense competition on routes between Australia and Europe from Middle Eastern airlines Emirates and Etihad. Chinese airlines such as China Southern have also opened up a new way of flying to Europe via mainland China in recent years. Qantas stopped flying between Hong Kong and London in 2012, and Virgin Atlantic's withdrawal 退出 leaves Cathay Pacific as the only airline flying from Australia to London via the Asian financial hub. Virgin Blue has since been renamed Virgin Australia, and reshaped 重塑, 重新打造 itself as an upmarket competitor to Qantas under the leadership of chief executive John Borghetti. Sir Richard has a stake of about 12.5 per cent in Virgin Australia but has indicated he eventually intends to sell down his holdings持股 in this country's second-largest airline. Virgin Australia has a 60 per cent stake in ultra low-cost airline Tigerair Australia. 餐馆经理给自闭症儿子顾客的一封信: "TO the woman and child who sat at table 9, I did not introduce myself to you. My name is Tony Posnanski. I have been a restaurant manager for fifteen years now. My day consists of making sure my restaurant runs well. That could mean washing dishes, cooking and sometimes even serving tables. I have also dealt with every guest complaint you can imagine. A few weeks back you came into my restaurant. I was very busy that night. I was running around helping the kitchen cook food. I was asked to talk to a table close to yours. I did and they said your child was being very loud. I heard some yelling while I was talking to that table. I heard a very loud beep from a young girl. I started to walk to your table. You knew what I was going to ask. You saw the table I just spoke to pointing at you指指点点的. I got to your table and you looked at me. You wanted the first word你先发话. You said … "Do you know what it is like to have a child with autism?" You were not rude when you asked the question. In fact, you were quite sincere. Your daughter could not have been more than five years old. She was beautiful and looked scared that I was at the table. She looked like she thought she was in trouble. In fifteen years I do not have a lot of memorable moments as a restaurant manager. I remember some guests who were mad that their burger was not the way they wanted it. I remember a woman who called corporate on me because she said I gave her a regular Coke instead of a Diet Coke. I remember having to cut people off from drinking alcohol and I remember having to tell tables to have their child be quieter. However, I do remember everything about the day my son was born. How I cried when I heard him cry. How I stood there and told him I would do anything for him and be the best father possible. I remember the day I married my wife. How I cried and promised to be the best husband possible. I remember the day my daughter was born. I did not cry that day. I was just so relieved because I lost a child two years earlier. I know what I was supposed to say when I went to your table. I was supposed to politely tell you to please not have your daughter yell. I was supposed to offer to move you to another area. I was supposed to offend you by not offending you … I did not do any of that. Instead I just told you I hoped your meal was awesome. I high fived your daughter and then I told you that your meal was on us tonight. It was only sixteen dollars. It meant more to me than that. I do not think the other guests I spoke to were happy about it. At that moment it did not matter to me. I do not know how you reacted. I had to leave to go cook because the kitchen was not doing very good that night. When the server asked me why I bought the food I just said you did not enjoy your steak. I did not tell anyone what you said to me. I was thankful you did say it to me though. You asked me a question that I did not answer. The truth is I do not know what it is like to have a child with autism. I know what it is like to be a father. I know what it is like to be a husband. I know what it is like to not tell his wife how much he loves her enough. I know what it is like to want to spend more time with his children. You asked me the question right away. You have been through this before in other restaurants. I did not want to be like other managers for one moment. I did not want to tell you what you always heard. Honestly, I wrote this to you and your beautiful daughter because I wanted to thank you both. You have given me a great restaurant memory. One that I needed for the last fifteen years. You also taught me a valuable lesson … Sometimes doing the right thing does not make everyone happy; just the people who need it the most. Sincerely, Tony Posnanski". Mr Posnanski's heartfelt response is a far cry from ( far cry from something a thing that is very different from something else. What you did was a far cry from what you said you were going to do. The song they played was a far cry from what I call music.) what some parents of autistic children endure遭受, 经历. In August a Canadian mother appeared on TV in tears after receiving an anonymous hate-filled letter telling her family to take action over her "loud" and "retarded" autistic son and move out of their neighbourhood.
澳洲动物: 1. Lories(单
数lory) and lorikeets (更颜色艳丽丰富一些, 五颜六色的, 如胸部上部为红色, 下部为紫色. 头部为如胸部一样的紫色,
羽毛和尾巴是绿色) (parrot vs parakeet主要是绿色掺杂黑色羽毛的小鸟, 长尾, 老鹰鼻子似的嘴)(cockatoo: Cockatoos are recognisable by the showy绚丽的, 特别炫的 crests凤头 and curved bills弯喙. Their plumage is generally less colourful than that of other parrots, being mainly white, grey or black and often with coloured features in the crest, cheeks or tail. On average they are larger than other parrots; however, the Cockatiel, the smallest cockatoo species, is a small bird. 某图片说明: A captive Sulphur-crested Cockatoo displaying its crest in USA. ) (tribe Lorini) are small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries. The usage of the terms "lory" and "lorikeet" is subjective, like the usage of "parrot" and "parakeet"(Parakeet
is a name for any one of a large number of unrelated small to medium
sized species of parrot, that generally have long tail feathers. Older
spellings still sometimes encountered are paroquet or paraquet. Parakeets breed 喂食 better in groups, but are usually fine breeding in pairs.
Having other parakeets encourages a pair to breed, which is why
breeding in groups is more successful. However, many breeders choose to
breed in pairs because that way they know which parents produced 生育了 any given birds. Many different species of parakeets are bred and sold commercially as pets, the budgerigar[ˈbʌdʒəriɡɑr] being among the most commonly sold in the United States The budgerigar, also known as common pet parakeet or shell parakeet and informally nicknamed the budgie(身体为绿色, 翅膀和尾巴为黑色), is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot. budgie smugglers (Australia, New Zealand, informal, plural only) A style of tightfitting men's swimming costume cut like underwear briefs that covers the buttocks and groin but not the legs, especially worn in surf lifesaving and in swimming races.). Species with longer tapering长而尖 tails are generally referred to as "lorikeets", while species with short blunt短而钝的尾巴 tails are generally referred to as "lories". 2. After investigating the problems with lorikeets in Strathfield Square by using different methods such as research, surveys and interviews, we have come to the conclusion that the lorikeets are affecting the residents, shop owners and visitors in the vicinity of Strathfield Square however there is not much that can be done to solve this issue as it is dealing with nature and the environment. The lorikeets make a lot of noise when flying or roosting栖息 together as it confuses the predators such as birds of prey and cats.There are many lorikeets in the area because according to the Natural Resource Coordinator of Strathfield, Alex Mackenzie, in the day白天 the lorikeets tend to stay in small flocks but as the sun goes down, they assemble into larger flocks of up to a thousand as being alone would reduce their chances of survival. They like to roost in places with a lot of human activity
such as near shopping centres. This is the case for Strathfield Square
as it is located right next to a shopping centre and at night there are
usually a lot of people in the Square. There is also a lot of light
there which means they feel that they are safe from predators. According
to the survey we conducted, most people said that they are most active around between 5-9pm and some residents complained that they were also slightly noisy in the early hours of the morning or at dawn. According to the survey, most residents were annoyed by this issue. Although most people ignored or just shut the windows at the time of the noise, a small proportion even moved houses because of the screeching noises( screech n. I. A high-pitched, strident cry. II. A sound suggestive of this cry: the screech of train brakes. v. I. To cry out in a high-pitched, strident voice. II. To make a sound suggestive of a screech: Tires screeched on the wet pavement. screeching (drunk) Sl. intoxicated; very drunk. How can anybody be so screeching drunk on four beers? She's not just drunk; she's screeching.).
This shows that this is a pretty serious issue. First of all, the
lorikeets are creating a lot of noise and many customers have complained
to the shop owners about this. Also after interviewing some of the shop
owners, they told us that it is not only the noise but bird poo and feathers that are an issue as well. They told us that there are many examples of people leaving the shop because of bird poo landing on them. This is affecting the business of many of the cafes and restaurants near Strathfield Square. 3. Megabats大蝙蝠 constitute the suborder Megachiroptera, family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera (bats). They are also called fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes.
The megabat, contrary to its name, is not always large: the smallest
species is 6 cm (2.4 in) long and thus smaller than some microbats. The
largest attain a wingspan of 1.7 m (5.6 ft), weighing in at重大 up to 1.6 kg (3.5 lb). Most fruit bats have large eyes, allowing them to orient themselves visually in twilight and inside caves and forests. Their sense of smell味觉 is excellent. In contrast to the microbats, the fruit bats do not use echolocation回音定位 (with one exception, the Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus egyptiacus, which uses high-pitched clicks to navigate in caves). Fruit bats have been found to act as reservoirs for a number of diseases which can prove fatal to humans and domestic animals, but the bats themselves sometimes have no signs of infection. 关于蝙蝠: Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera ([kai'roptərə]) whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, can only glide for short distances. Bats do not flap挥动翅膀, 舞动翅膀 their entire forelimbs, as birds do, but instead flap their spread-out digits, which are very long and covered with a thin membrane or patagium. The social structure of bats varies, with some bats leading solitary lives独居生活 and others living in caves colonized by more than a million bats. The fission-fusion social structure is seen among several species of bats. The term "fusion" refers to a large numbers of bats that congregate in one roosting area, and "fission" refers to breaking up and the mixing of subgroups, with individual bats switching roosts with others and often ending up in different trees and with different roostmates. Bandicoots are a group of about 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial marsupial陆地有袋动物 omnivores杂食动物 in the order Peramelemorphia. They are endemic to Australia. Nocturnality夜间活跃动物 is an animal behavior characterized by activity during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal". While most humans are diurnal(diurnal [dai'ɜ:nəl] adj happening during the day or daily.), for various personal and social/cultural reasons some people are temporarily or habitually nocturnal. 5. The grey-headed flying fox is the largest bat in Australia. This flying fox has a dark-grey body with a light-grey head and a reddish-brown neck collar of fur. Since it does not echolocate回音定位, it lacks tragus ( tragus ['treigəs]
I. The projection of skin-covered cartilage in front of the meatus of
the external ear. II. Any of the hairs growing at the entrance to the
meatus of the external ear. ) or leaf ornamentation found in most species of Microchiroptera. It relies on sight to locate its food (nectar, pollen and native fruits) and thus has relatively large eyes for a bat. The grey-headed flying fox is long-lived for a mammal of its size. Individuals reportedly survived in captivity for up to 22 years, and a maximum age of up to 15 years seems possible in the wild野外. Grey-headed flying foxes live a variety of habitats, including rainforests, woodlands, and swamps. During the day, individuals reside in large roosts (colonies or 'camps') consisting of hundreds to tens of thousands of individuals. Colonies are formed in seemingly arbitrary locations. Movements of grey-headed flying foxes are influenced by the availability of food. Their population is very fluid, as they move in response to the irregular blossoming of certain plant species. The grey-headed flying fox is a partial migrant that uses winds to facilitate long-distance movement长距离迁移. It does not migrate in a specific direction, but rather in the direction that will be the most beneficial 最有利的 at the time. The grey-headed flying fox is now a prominent federal conservation problem保护问题 in Australia. Early in the last century, the species was considered abundant, with numbers estimated in the many millions. In recent years, though, direct evidence has been accumulating that the species is in serious decline. Grey-headed flying foxes are exposed to several threats, including loss of foraging ( forage ['foridʒ] 捕食, 觅食. v.intr. I. To wander in search of food or provisions. II. To make a raid, as for food: soldiers foraging near an abandoned farm. III. To conduct a search; rummage. v.tr. I. To collect forage from; strip of food or supplies: troops who were foraging the countryside. II. Informal To obtain by foraging: foraged a snack from the refrigerator. forage (around) (for something) to search for something, especially something to eat. I
will go to the kitchen and forage around for some cereal or something.
The rabbits got into the garden and were foraging for a good meal. ) and roosting habitat, competition with the black flying fox, and mass die-offs大量灭亡 caused by extreme temperature events. When present in urban environments, grey-headed flying foxes are sometimes perceived as a nuisance. Cultivated orchard (['ɔ:tʃəd] 果园. orchid ['ɔ:kid] 兰花. ) fruits are also taken, but apparently only at times when other food items are scarce. Because their roosting and foraging habits bring the species into conflict with humans, they suffer from direct killing of animals in orchards and harassment and destruction of roosts. 6. A flying fox(一种小孩子玩的缆车似的东西) is a small cable car, often propelled by gravity, and used as an item of children's play equipment
and more rarely for other purposes. The term flying fox is Australian
English and New Zealand English. In other countries, it can be called a zip-line. Similar toys are known as death slides (British). The toy should not be confused with a foxtail (or fox tail), which is a children's toy consisting of a ball with a rope attached to it, allowing it to be thrown like a sling. In South Africa it is referred to as a Foofy Slide. 7. The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose猫鼬 family.
Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much
of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South
Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan". A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some super-families have 50 or more members. In captivity圈养, meerkats have an average life span of 12–14 years, and about half this in the wild. Meerkats are small burrowing animals, living in large underground networks with multiple entrances which they leave only during the day. They are very social, living in colonies averaging 20–30 members. Animals in the same group regularly groom each other to strengthen social bonds. The alpha pair often scent-mark subordinates of the group to express their authority, and this is usually followed by the subordinates grooming the alphas and licking their faces. This behavior is also usually practiced when group members are reunited重聚 after a short period apart. Most meerkats in a group are all siblings or offspring of the alpha pair. Meerkats demonstrate altruistic behavior ( altruism ['æltru:,izəm] altruistic
adj. 大公无私的, 无私心的, 利他的. 舍己为人的. n. I. the principle or practice of
unselfish concern for the welfare of others. II. (Philosophy) the
philosophical doctrine that right action is that which produces the
greatest benefit to others.) within their colonies; one or more meerkats stand sentry站岗, 放哨 ( sentry ['sɛntri] I.
A guard, especially a soldier posted at a given spot to prevent the
passage of unauthorized persons. II. The duty of a sentry; watch. The sentry would not let her enter. ) while others are foraging or playing, to warn them of approaching dangers. When a predator is spotted, the meerkat performing as sentry gives a warning bark, and other members of the gang will run and hide in one of the many bolt holes(I. 逃遁口. A hole through which to bolt: found a bolthole in the fencing. II. A place affording escape.) they have spread across their territory. The sentry meerkat is the first to reappear from the burrow and search for predators, constantly barking to keep the others underground. If there is no threat, the sentry meerkat stops signaling and the others feel safe to emerge. Meerkats also babysit the young in the group. Females that have never produced offspring of their own often lactate (分泌乳汁 To secrete or produce milk.) to feed the alpha pair's young, while the alpha female is away with the rest of the group. They also protect the young from threats, often endangering their own lives. On warning of danger, the babysitter takes the young underground to safety and is prepared to defend them if the danger follows. If retreating underground is not possible, she collects all young together and lies on top of them. Meerkats are also known to share their burrow with the Yellow Mongoose and ground squirrel, species with which they do not compete for resources. If they are unlucky, sometimes they share their burrow with snakes. Like many species, meerkat young learn by observing and mimicking adult behaviour though adults also engage in active instruction主动教. For example, meerkat adults teach their pups how to eat a venomous scorpion:
they will remove the stinger and help the pup learn how to handle the
creature. Despite this altruistic behaviour, meerkats sometimes kill young members of their group. Subordinate meerkats have been seen killing the offspring of more senior members in order to improve their own offspring's position. Meerkats have been known to engage in social activities, including what appear to be wrestling matches and foot races. Meerkat calls may carry specific meanings, with particular calls
indicating the type of predator and the urgency of the situation. In
addition to alarm calls, meerkats also make panic calls, recruitment
calls, and moving calls. Meerkats make very poor pets. They can be aggressive especially toward
guests and may bite. They will scent-mark their owner and the house
(their "territory").
