I almost titled this photo "Classmates".  The meerkats seemed so inquisitive and attentive that they reminded me of students in a classroom, hanging on every word the teacher was saying (except for the two in the upper left who seem to be "looking out the window").  Actually, the meerkats are probably more attentive and inquisitive than  the students in many of our classrooms.  That says a lot about our society, doesn't it?

Zoo photographs, like this one, offer some special challenges.  The first is to locate an unobstructed view.  Fortunately, many of the modern zoos are much improved - you no longer have to fit the camera between the prison bars of the animal cages.   Secondly, it's good to have the animals doing something other than just laying around.  I don't think these meerkats spend much time laying around.  Lastly, it's good to capture the animals in a natural setting.  Again, considerable progress has been made in making a zoo setting more like the animal's natural habitat.  In this photo, I especially liked the way the cluster of rocks was in full sun, while the background provided a contrasting deep shadow.