On a visit to Inokashira Natural Cultural Park in Musashino City, Tokyo, Japanese photographer mamekoro51 came across an adorable meerkat family with newborn pups, one of whom was a little shy in front of camera.

The shy baby meerkat peeped cautiously from behind a wall and consecutively slowly looking at the camera. At first, the baby seemed to be afraid, but soon after, it came out from its hiding place to say hello, and people can't get enough of the baby's cuteness.

The meerkat (Suricata suricatta) or suricate is a small carnivoran in the mongoose family. They can be found around the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, Namibian Desert to southwestern Angola and South Africa.

Image credits: mamekoro51 Peeping cautiously from behind a wall, this little meerkat seemed to be afraid at first. However, after a little time, it emerged from its hiding place to say hello, and people are just in love!

Image credits: mamekoro51

Image credits: mamekoro51 The meerkat is a small carnivoran in the mongoose 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.

Image credits: mamekoro51 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, meerkats have an average life span of 12–14 years, and about half this in the wild.

Image credits: mamekoro51

Image credits: mamekoro51 Meerkats babysit the young in the group. Females that have never produced offspring of their own often lactate to feed the alpha pair's young and 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.

Image credits: mamekoro51

Image credits: mamekoro51 Like many species, meerkat young learn by observing and mimicking adult behavior, though adults also engage in active instruction.

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.

Image credits: mamekoro51

Image credits: mamekoro51 Despite this altruistic behavior, 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.

Image credits: mamekoro51

Image credits: mamekoro51

Image credits: mamekoro51

Image credits: mamekoro51 Meerkats become sexually mature at about two years of age and can have one to four pups in a litter, with three pups being the most common litter size.

The pups are allowed to leave the burrow at two to three weeks old.

Image credits: mamekoro51 Inokashira Park Zoo is located in a quiet and distinctive suburb of Tokyo. It exhibits a variety of Japanese species and contributes to the conservation and breeding of Japanese squirrels, mandarin ducks, and swans. The park also comprises a pond, a botanical garden and Seibo Kitamura (Japanese sculptor) Museum.

Image credits: mamekoro51 Other animals at the zoo include: Asiatic elephants, rhesus monkeys, raccoons, fennecs, Japanese serows, Japanese martens, masked palm civets, Amur cats, raccoon dogs, Japanese squirrels, red-crowned cranes, Japanese birds, tropical birds, mandarin ducks and swans.

Image credits: mamekoro51 Other animals at the zoo include: Asiatic elephants, rhesus monkeys, raccoons, fennecs, Japanese serows, Japanese martens, masked palm civets, Amur cats, raccoon dogs, Japanese squirrels, red-crowned cranes, Japanese birds, tropical birds, mandarin ducks and swans.