8-year-old meerkat Yam Yam started the year by becoming a new mom. Yam Yam, who came to the zoo from Busch Gardens Tampa, gave birth to two beautiful babies on the 18th of January.

Yam Yam shares her living space with three non-related males: Gizmo, Joe, and Diego. Just one of them is the father and only a DNA test could reveal who's the biological dad. However, the whole gang is raising the pups together.

Squirrel-sized meerkats are mongooses, widely known for their upright posture. They often stand on their rear legs, scanning the areas over the southern African plains where they live. In fact, mom meerkats can even nurse their babies while standing.

These cute little critters are true team players. They live in groups of 20-30, and a few usually serve as lookouts, gazing at the sky for hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey that can snatch them from the ground. They use a sharp, shrill call to alert the group to take cover if danger arises.

While a couple of guards watch over the group, the rest typically keep themselves busy foraging for food. Meerkats aren't picky eaters. They are good hunters and can devour insects, lizards, birds, and fruit. When hunting, they work together and coordinate their actions with purring sounds. The zoo also shared a few snaps taken on their live-stream cameras. More info: zoomiami.org