Hi burrow mates! While searching the archive I ran across a live chat with MM executive producer Mick K in Oct 2007. The following excerpts are related to the number of mobs featured on MM. (Note: IMO there are other interesting insights throughout the interview.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/10/16/DI2007101601709.html

Q. "How many total seasons are being planned and will the filming extend past just the Whiskers and nearby mobs to some of the other study mobs?

Mick Kaczorowski: We've already started filming season four in the Kalahari and, because this research area is so large, we have to focus on only one or two groups that interact with the Whiskers. So for now, most likely it will be the one or two groups that interact with the Whiskers."
...

Q. "I see that the Zappa Family is the new Commando Gang. But what happened to the Commandos ?

Mick Kaczorowski: The Commandos just didn't interact this season [S3] as much with the Whiskers. We have no control, really, when they decide to interact so it's sort of just what happened this season basically... It doesn't mean that we won't see more of the Commandos."

Now that the Vivian (AKA MM Commandos) and Young Ones (AKA MM Zappa) are gone and in light of Mick's comments above, which groups do you think will be featured in S4?

(FYI: To see which groups are close to the Whiskers territory now, go to the link below. Scroll down a bit to the "Group territories" section and click on the map to enlarge.)
http://friends.kalahari-meerkats.com/index.php?id=meerkat-groups0

Whiskers had the most group encounters with the Kung Fu. MM has to feature the Aztecs - no way to ignore Zaph and Monkulus, not to mention half of the old Whiskers.

They will do at least one whole episode featuring the Chuckle Brothers, maybe more. I think HR and Philippe will be treated ala Sondheim, Carlos and Houdini. That will be great fun!

I wish they would include the Commandos, there was an encounter with the group back in October, I think. Maybe it's not completely out of the question.

It will be interesting to see what they do. What do you think, kach?

Whiskers and Aztecs for sure. I wonder how their interaction/rivalry will be portrayed. It would be hard to watch our beloved Zaphod fighting with his offspring and nieces and nephews in the Whiskers.

I agree -- seeing the infamous CB rovers should be a hoot!

My original guess for their main rivals was the real Commandos because it was a large group fairly close to the Whiskers with Zarathustra W as DM. (But not any more <sigh> ) The closest mob now is Kung Fu, so they get my vote too.

Either way, it will be fun to see the new rival dominants. I'm getting excited again!

I wish they would show all the groups that the research group interact with, but understand the point that the area is to big for that, I am ok with it. I also wish I could see the real Commandos and Zappa in action, but, because I am use to Wilson, Hanibal and the others being in those groups, but are now deceased, it would be kind of weird seeing any different members of those groups. Atleast we will see the Aztecs and this group called the Kung-fu's, and as always, the Whiskers.

Hi Phil, we may see the real Commandos too. They had some IGIs (meetings/fights) with the Whiskers last fall after filming began. Yes, poor Hannibal (who was really a Vivian) is gone and we will miss him. But I bet we meet some new favorites. I hope we get to see Kung Fu dominants Kleintjie (Gattaca) and Clinton Baptiste (Frisky). Should be interesting... I'm very glad the Whiskers are back up to 16 members! That's second highest after the Nutters.

MM only has 2 camera crews at KMP -- not enough to film all of the other mobs, darn it.

I really liked the Vivians group, but cannot wait to see the real Commandos with all the talk people have about them. The Wilson who almost mated with Mozart, where is he at? I know the original Wilson passed away, but where is the MM Wilson?

On second thought, they are not going to be able to feature the Kung Fu because KF is not fully habituated.

I'll bet that they use the Kung Fu only to represent the Commandos in group encounters between Commandos and Whiskers. I hope they'll use real footage of the Commandos for the group and dominants scenes (peaceful, close-ups).

They'll also use the Aztecs and the CB. That would be a good season, I think.

It would be great if they'd showcase all of the groups during their 'ask the researchers' special. I'd be a happy camper!

I just hope that OSF managed to get some footage of poor Lola before she disappeared. MM Season 3 gave us good intros to the real Zappa heirarchy. I'm hoping to see Punk's two pups as well. Who knows? Maybe they'll let DM Withnail be a star, even though the Zappa are quite a distance from the Whiskers.

As long as Zaphod's the DM of the Aztecs, I'm sure they'll be one of the groups. I think the other one will the the Nutters group who have their territory in the middle of "Aztec" land. At 19 members strong their going to be hard to ignore.

Hi friends, I thought about the Kung Fu not being fully habituated yet. We have lost so many groups lately there are only 8 fully habituated mobs! I expect MM to use the KU in group IGI scenes. They should also have footage from Commandos-Whiskers IGIs last fall (5 in Sept, 2 in Oct.) and 4 Aztecs-Whiskers IGIs in Sept-Oct.

At the moment my guess is the same as ninjamom's -- the main rivals will be called the Commandos and MM will use combined footage of real Commandos, Kung Fu and possibly other groups. I hope they use the real Commandos dominants Zorilla and Zarathustra W, who was DM from Oct. until sometime in Feb. I would like to see KU dominants too, but that probably won't happen.

Phil, there are a few people here who are great at identifying individual meerkats by closely studying physical features and dye marks. I have not seen any agreement from them on which meerkat played Wilson on MM. It's also possible that the Wilson character was played by more than one meerkat. Sorry, but we may never know the answer.

I would also love to see the Zappa in S4 at least briefly. I have a theory about why they were chosen, since their territory is too far away to have much interaction with the Whiskers. I think they were featured in MM because the Punk-Lola and Houdini-Frank storyline illustrates another type of dominance change: when a subordinate female takes advantage of temporary weakness to oust the DF, and then the DM may also be at risk of being overthrown. It also showed how a change in leadership can affect the foraging, IGI, etc. style of the group -- in this case, the Zappas became more aggressive.

Good point about the Nutters' size making them impossible to ignore -- especially later when they are fully habituated.

So let me get this right, they aren't going to show the Zappa and call them the Commandoes are they?? I hope they dont. Just show us the real Zappa and Commandoes. I want to see some of Zarathustra and I want him referred to as Zarathustra not some other name. I too hope they do have some footage of Lola, I hope she is ok somewhere, I loved Lola and always hoped she and Zaph would've found their way together. As for Houdini, MM's Houdini was Dougal and he passed away so I don't know how much of that we will see. And Wilson, MM's Wilson, I don't know if anyone really knows who Wilson actually was, the Commandoes Wilson died young so this was not the one they showed on the show, someone did mention who they thought was Wilson but I forget, anyway, the kat thought to be Wilson has since passed as well.

I definitely want to see the Whiskers, the Aztecs, and the real Commandoes, Zappa, and hopefully some of these newer groups.

Oh I hadn't thought about the possibility of seeing Kung Fu... I would love to see Kleintjie, she sounds like such a sweetie (as far as DFs go, anyway)!

So, that Wilson that Mozart almost mated with has passed away? I would love to see the original Zappa and Commandos on the new season, and see the Aztecs and their new group. I wish we could see the Lazuli again, they were the first rival group that I saw on tv to the Whiskers. Does anyone have any updates on the Lazuli?

I can't remember the real kat that MM called Wilson, but he has passed, however, I have heard talk that there may have never even been a "Wilson" so to speak. That the shots of Mozart lying down with what we thought was Wilson, may have been a member of the Starsky. Who knows, I think it was a cute storyline, and I will believe she found some love before her passing, god knows she deserved it.

I too want to see the orginal groups, I can't wait to see what they do with the Commandoes, knowing that Zarathustra was the DM but MM portrayed the Commandoes as the Vivian. Hannibal and Nikita have died, I just wonder how this will play out.

phil, the lazuli are alive and not doing too shabby. as of the feb. report they have 13 members including 4 pups. their dominants are related (brother-sister i believe) aretha and j.a. prufrock. their territory does not overlap with the whiskers, but is not far, a little southwest of whiskers territory.

That is great news. I always did like the Lazuli, and always hoped they were in good shape. Thanks!

Aretha and J. Alfred Prufrock, the dominants of the Lazuli are brother and sister. The Whiskers moved, and their territory is slightly off the Lazuli territory (the two groups are still neighbors), that is why we didn't see any interactions between the two groups in season 3.

I've been wondering about the whole Commando situation, as the 'Commandos' we saw in seasons 2 and 3 we actually the Vivian mob. And now since the Vivians are gone, I wonder if we will see the real Commando gang or if they are simply just not going to be featured on the show anymore. However I think it would probably be in the viewer's best interest if they were.

Reading the question portion to the producer from the top of this topic, and reading all your messages, it looks like the groups we will see in season 4 are, Whiskers, Aztecs, Zappa, maybe Commandos and Kung Fu, right? Who is this group the CB?

Am I right in assuming that so far the Aztecs and Whiskers have not fought, but have been "neighborly?" What would our Zaph do if his family began fighting? I wonder if he still visits between groups? He has been through so much since his loss of Flower.

MM is going to "feature" the Whiskers, the Aztecs, maybe the real Commandos (finally!), and group scenes of the Kung Fu, and possibly the Nutters. Other groups (or their dominants) could be added, if convenient (story lines).


bischonmom

The Aztecs and the Whiskers did not fight for some time. Whole groups of meerkats moved from one group to the other, considering both groups as splinter groups. MM, towards the end of season 3, made it appear as if there was tremendous tension, even animosity ("A Family At War") between the two sisters for the sake of ratings. The groups can have hostile interactions, especially if non natal DMs establish themselves in each group. Zaphod is not a natal male, but he is a respected family member.


Philmeerkat


CB is short for Chuckle Brothers, as some people call the two Young Ones rover brothers, Homestar Runner, and Philippe, suitors to the Whiskers and Aztecs ladies.

Am I correct in thinking a natal male (or female) is a kat born into that particular group?

That's funny. So, there are a group of brothers roving from group to group mating with females? That's to funny. Hopefully they are TB free!

Yes, Bischonmom, "natal" refers to a meerkat's birth group. For example, Machu Pichu is a natal Whiskers because he is Flower's son. He is currently the Whiskers natal DM. He protects his family like all DMs but does not mate with Whiskers females, who are all close relatives (i.e. sisters or nieces.)

Zaphod was a natal Vivian who emigrated to the Whiskers and eventually became its long-term non-natal DM, including mating privileges with the DF.

I hope this helps instead of confusing you more.

Unfortunately, Homestar Runner just died of TB. His brother, Philippe, is still roving with another wild male meerkat.