Meerkats Are the Most Murderous Mammals on Earth

As anyone who’s watched Meerkat Manor can tell you, the show’s eponymous creatures are as violent as they are cute. In fact, they’re the most murderous mammals on Earth, with as many as 20% of all meerkat deaths resulting from meerkat-on-meerkat violence. Meanwhile, approximately 0.8% of human deaths are the result of homicide — maybe we aren’t so bad after all?

Meerkats live in matriarchal societies in which the hierarchy is strictly enforced and resources are scarce, leading to fierce competition that often ends in bloodshed. Pregnant meerkats will often kill and eat one another’s pups, with the alpha female using any means necessary to protect her position. This includes banishment, which is effectively a death sentence. Meerkats are also fiercely territorial and often wage war against rival mobs to maintain their turf, raising the murder rate even higher.