We continue our meerkat journey this week following my interview with Dr Dominic Cram, working on The Kalahari Meerkat Project run by Professor Tim Clutton-Brock. Dr Cram used a Sonoscape S6 BW ultrasound machine with a linear probe (L742) to carry out his studies, and last time we looked at the results yielded following the scanning of meerkats. To read this article, please click here. This week we will start by looking at the benefits of using veterinary ultrasonography to scan meerkats.

Dr Cram explained how meerkats used in this study were able to be scanned without the requirement for sedation. As the meerkats examined were wild this was quite a feat, and the ability for a short scanning time to retrieve at least 50 frames meant they were not disturbed for longer than was necessary. Unlike other methods, veterinary ultrasonography is able to be carried out in a quick and non-invasive manner which helped reduce the risk of distress inflicted during scanning.

These studies are nothing short of fascinating, and so I wanted to know what was next for Dr Cram now that he has swapped South Africa for somewhere closer to home – Cambridge! It was encouraging to hear that approximately 5 meerkats are still being scanned every week, and pregnancies being established by the field team still currently in South Africa. Interestingly here at VIS we are always on the lookout for new applications for veterinary ultrasound, and the success of the Kalahari Meerkat Project may have inspired a use for ultrasonography with Damaraland mole-rats. However Dr Cram has decided to divert his research focus slightly by looking at certain aspects of meerkat ageing, specifically ‘whether reproduction accelerates the ageing process… [and if] social lives can slow down their ageing rates’ by looking at their genes and cells. Only time will tell what the results reveal, but it is sure to throw up some rather interesting observations!

If you would like to know more about the Sonoscape S6 BW ultrasound scanner used for these studies please click here, or alternatively feel free to contact us. In addition if you would like to see some of the photographs taken by Dr Cram whilst scanning meerkats you can do so by visiting the Vet Image Solutions Facebook page which you can access by clicking here.