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Zaphod Vivian
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Mob(s)
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Dominant
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Yes, formerly of Whiskers, Incas and Aztecs
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Date of Birth
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December 9, 1998
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Date of Death
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March 4, 2011
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Cause of Death
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Old Age
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Parents
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Litter-Mate(s)
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Mate(s)
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Children
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Known For
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Oldest known wild meerkat
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Also Known As
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King of the Kalahari
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Vivian
Zaphod(VVM032) was born into the Vivian Mob on December 9, 1998. His mother was the dominant female Vivian and his father was Phoenix, a rover from a group called Elveera. Zaphod had two liitter-mates, his brother Yossarian(VVM033) and sister Rapunzel(VVF031). Zaphod and his two litter-mates survived to adulthood. In 2000 Zaphod's mother Vivian died and his older half sister Rhian took over as dominant female. Afterwards, rovers from the Young Ones joined the group. One of the males, Jim Bob, took over as dominant male. In 2001 Zaphod and eight of his brothers and two nephews left the Vivian. They formed a large roving coalition consisting of Zaphod, Yossarian, Basil, Izit, Attila, Alexander, Govinda, Genghis, Phooey, Zazu and Patis. The males came across a group called the Whiskers.
Whiskers
Zaphod as the Whiskers Dominant Male
Risca was the dominant female but there was no dominant male, so the eleven Vivian males emigrated into the group easily. Izit took over as dominant male, in spite not being the oldest of the males. In August 2001 Basil left the Whiskers and joined the Lazuli. That same month Izit lost dominance, but none of the other males were able to fulfil the position. A month later Risca lost dominance to Vialli and Zaphod became the new dominant male. The other Vivian males continued to rove. Four of them, Izit, Zazu and Govinda and Genghis, left the group permanently. In November 2001 Vialli gave birth to seven pups; Tarzan, Daisy, Thelma, Itchy, Scratchy, Louise and Big Will, fathered by Zaphod. At the beginning of 2002 Vialli was predated and Flower became the new dominant female. Flower and Zaphod started producing litters but the first two were killed by other females. Flower produced their first surviving litter that on August 18, 2002. The litter included Baddiel, Skinner and Stato. Flower then gave birth to her and Zaphod's second litter, which included Einstein, Mozart, Shakespeare and Freud, on November 8, 2002. A month later Flower mated with a Gattaca male named Mr. Wendell. She later gave birth to his three pups named Sookie, Cookie and Pookie. In February 2003 Zaphod was challenged by his brothers. Alexander attacked Zaphod, but could not overthrow him. Yossarian then attacked Zaphod repeatedly and eventually overpowered him. Alexander then evicted Zaphod with Dangerous Dave's help. Zaphod then went roving to find new mating opportunities. He roved at the Young Ones and mated with their dominant female Veda, but was chased off by Young Ones males. Veda later gave birth to Zaphod's pups; Teabag, Biltong and Tequila. Zaphod returned to the Whiskers. Yossarian was still in charge and had made habit of viciously attacking the other Vivian males whenever they returned from roving. He had fathered two of Flower's litters. In April 2004 Zaphod and Alexander both attacked Yossarian and overthrew him. Zaphod emerged as the overall winner and once again became the Whiskers' dominant male. In September that year Flower gave birth to Hawkeye, Logan, Cruise and Mitch, fathered by Zaphod. In December 2004 she gave birth to another litter, which included Machu Pichu, Ningaloo, Petra and Popkat. At the beginning of 2005 the Whiskers split up. Super Furry Animal and Yossarian took dominance of the splinter group but Baddiel ousted her sister. The groups re-united within a month and Flower and Zaphod took back dominance. Over the year Flower and Zaphod had three more litters, which included Kim, Flo, Finn, Billy, Ella, Miles, Baker, Bananas, Butch Cassidy, Sundance, Alonzo Mourning and Orinoco. At the beginning of 2006 Flower gave birth to another litter of three, the pups were named Panthro, Cheetara and Wiley Kat. In April 2006 Zaphod's brother Yossarian finally left the group. He went roving with two other males at the Lazuli, however, Yossarian was caught and mauled by the rivals. He later died from his wounds. In September 2006 Flower gave birth to her and Zaphod's next litter. There were three pups named Izzy, Busta and Suggs. A month later Flower mated with Aurinko, a rover from the Young Ones. She then gave birth to her final litter, which included two very small pups named Ren and Stumpy. Stumpy was born with a deformed leg. In December 2006 the Whiskers split into two. Rocket Dog and Mitch took control of one half while Flower and Zaphod remained dominants of the other half. During the split Rocket Dog's group adopted a Young Ones pup named Axel. When the Whiskers reunited Flower allowed Axel to live. Sadly, on January 25, 2007, Flower was bitten by a cape cobra and died. Rocket Dog once again took over as dominant female. Zaphod stayed by his daughter's side for three weeks, before finally taking to roving. Around that time some Whiskers females gave birth to a mixed litter of eight pups, bringing the group to nearly fifty members. While Zaphod was away a Commandos male named Drew emigrated into the group and took over as dominant male. When Zaphod returned he chased Drew away. With the Whiskers so large, keeping everyone together was difficult. The group split into two permanently, the other half was given the name the Aztecs. Zaphod, along with his sons and nephews, went roving frequently following the break-up. In September 2007 he and some other rovers left the Whiskers for good.
Incas
Zaphod (collared) in the Incas
The roving coalition was known as the Incas Mob. Zaphod, being the oldest and most experienced male, took over as the leader. The other males were his sons Mitch, Logan, Ningaloo, Alonzo Mourning and Orinoco. It was the second time Zaphod had been a part of such a large roving group, the first time being when he first joined the Whiskers. The Incas went roving into a rival group's territory. The rival mob was small and only had two males so the Incas joined the group easily. Once in, they kicked out the group's dominant male, Homestar Runner. However it was then discovered the rivals were actually the Aztecs, who were previously Whiskers members.
Aztecs
Zaphod took the position of dominant male next to his niece Monkulus. Since he was closely related to Monkulus the pair originally did not breed. However, there was one exception. In mid 2009 Zaphod mated with Monkulus and she later gave birth to Snowflake, Tabie and Toblerone. They were Zaphod's last known offspring. Given his old age, Zaphod didn't go roving during his time in the group. In late 2010 the Aztecs split up. The splinter group was led by Burdock and Zaphod. But a month later the two halves reunited. Zaphod lived peacefully in the Aztecs for the rest of his days. he lived to become the oldest meerkat studied by the Kalahari Meerkat Project and was the last surviving Vivian meerkat. Eventually Zaphod started to become lethargic due to his age. He sadly passed away on March 4, 2011, surrounded by his family. He was 12 years old when he died. He fathered nearly 50 pups and his bloodline still runs in many groups today.
Meerkat Manor
Zaphod the King of the Kalahari
Zaphod was one of the few meerkats who appeared in all four seasons of Meerkat Manor. He went by his real name on the show. Zaphod was seen as the dominant male of the Whiskers and later the Aztecs. He was shown to be very protective of his long-term mate, Flower, and also of his daughters Rocket Dog and Maybelline(Monkulus). In reality they were both his nieces. For the first two seasons Zaphod regularly asserted his dominance over his "troubled" brother Youssarian(Yossarian) as he considered him a threat to his leadership. He was also often seen chasing off rovers such as Carlos(JD) in Love Thy Neighbor, Wilson(Drew) in The Graduate and Houdini(Aurinko) in The Death of Romance. Houdini was the only rover to mate with Flower in spite of Zaphod's attempts to protect her. It wasn't just roving males that Zaphod kept at bay. In the episode United We Stand, Flower and half of the Whiskers were under attack by the Commandos. It was Zaphod who found the raiding rivals and led the other half of the Whiskers into battle against them. After Flower's death in Journey's End, Zaphod became a common babysitter for the Whiskers. When Rocket Dog struggled to initiate a burrow move due to rebellious subordinates, Zaphod managed to get the group under control again. Afterwards Zaphod took to roving. In the episode Farewell My Lovely he went roving at the Zappa. After many days of tailing the group he managed to mate with Lola, but he was quickly chased off my Houdini. In reality it is unknown who the two mating meerkats were. In the fourth season of Meerkat Manor Zaphod was given his own radio collar. He and some Whiskers males were separated from the group after chasing off a rover. The boys decided to go roving. Eventually they joined the Aztecs where Zaphod took dominance. He remained in the Aztecs for the rest of the series, serving as a common babysitter and protector of Maybelline. By the end of the series Zaphod was still alive and living in the Aztecs. The group had finally achieved a territory of their own and had successfully reproduced, giving the gang a bright future.
Additionally, Zaphod played some stand in roles as well. This included one appearance as his own daughter, Mozart, during the episode, Divided Loyalties. During a later episode, Sibling Rivalry, Zaphod stood in briefly for the Zappa's dominant male, Frank. Zaphod also stood in for his two grandchildren: Sophie and Spud during the episode Journey's End. They were seen babysitting what was said to be Flower's last litter. But in reality the babysitters were played by Zaphod and an unknown meerkat.
Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins
Zaphod appeared in the Meerkat Manor movie, but was played by multiple unknown meerkats. He was seen roving with his brother Yossarian, who was also played by various meerkats. They were said to be rovers from the Lazuli. The rovers visited the Whiskers where Yossarian(Drew) mated with Vialli(Rocket Dog). Meanwhile, Zaphod mated with Flower, who was also played by various actresses. She later fell pregnant but lost her litter after she was evicted from the group by Vialli. Yossarian became the dominant male while Zaphod was left to continue living a lonely life. After Vialli was hit by a car Flower became the new dominant female. Zaphod then joined the Whiskers and became the dominant male, leaving Yossarian to go roving. With new leaders, the Whiskers faced their rivals, the Lazuli, in an attempt to reclaim their land. The fight was only won after rover Yossarian returned and helped the Whiskers fight against his own previous family.
Family
Zaphod in Meerkat Manor
Mother: Vivian
Father: Phoenix
Sister: Rapunzel
Brother: Yossarian
Mates: Flower, Vialli and Veda
Offspring
First litter born on November 22, 2001, mothered by Vialli
Big Will (VWM038) Last Seen on January 23, 2006.
Zaphod in 2005
Itchy (VWF039) Last Seen on October 28, 2003.
Scratchy (VWF040) Last Seen on October 28, 2003.
Thelma (VWF041) Last Seen on November 14, 2003.
Louise (VWF042) Last Seen on October 28, 2003.
Daisy (VWF043) Last Seen on October 28, 2003.
Tarzan (VWM044) Last Seen on November 1, 2003.
Second litter born August 18, 2002, mothered by Flower
Baddiel (VWF049) - Former dominant female of Whiskers, Last Seen in January 2005
Zaphod in the Aztecs
Stato (VWM050) - Last Seen in January 2006
Skinner (VWF051) - Last Seen in January 2006
Third litter born November 8, 2002 mothered by Flower
Einstein (VWM052) - Joined the Young Ones, Last Seen in February 2006
Mozart (VWF053) - Joined the Starsky, predated in April 2007
Shakespeare (VWM054) - Last Seen in March 2005
Freud (VWM051) - Last Seen in March 2003
Fourth litter born on July 8, 2004, mothered by Veda
Teabag (VYM113) - Dominant male of Elveera, died of TB in August 2009
Tequila (VYF115) - Dominant female of PQ, died of TB in July 2007
Biltong (VYM114). - Joined Elveera, Last Seen in August 2009
Fifth litter born on September 6 2004, mothered by Flower
Hawkeye,(VWF072) - Dominant female of Baobab, hit by a car in April 2010
Logan, (VWM073) - Dominant male of a wild group, Last Seen in August 2008
Cruise (VWF075) - Long-term dominant female of Baobab, predated in September 2013
Zaphod foraging
Mitch (VWM074) - Dominant male of the Whiskers, Last Seen in September 2007.
Sixth litter born on December 6, 2004, mothered by Flower
Petra (VWF082) - Joined the Baobab, Last Seen in October 2008
Machu Pichu (VWM084) - Dominant male of Whiskers, Lazuli and PK, Last Seen in early 2009
Ningaloo (VWM083) - Dominant male of the Kung Fu, Last Seen in November 2012.
Popkat (VWF085) - Predated in January 2005
Seventh litter born on February 22, 2005, mothered by Flower
Flo (VWF090) - Dominant female of Van Helsing, Last Seen in October 2009
Finn (VWF091) - Dominant female of Toyota and Pretenders, found dead in October 2009
Flower and Zaphod Grooming
Kim (VWF089) - Hit by a car in September 2006
Eighth litter born on August 26, 2005, mothered by Flower
Billy (VWF093) - Long-term dominant female of Van Helsing, predated in April 2013.
Ella (VWF095) - Dominant female of Whiskers and Queens, Last Seen in June 2012
Baker (VWM096) - Dominant male of Commandos, died of TB in May 2008
Miles (VWM094) - Dominant male of Commandos, died of TB in January 2009
Ninth litter born on November 11, 2005, mothered by Flower.
Bananas (VWF097) - Joined the Aztecs and Van Helsing, Last Seen in October 2009.
Butch Cassidy (VWM098) - Died of a snake bite in October 2007.
Abaca and Zaphod
Sundance (VWF099) - Predated in January 2006.
Alonzo Mourning (VWM100) - Dominant male of a wild mob, Last Seen in September 2011.
Orinoco(VWM101) - Joined Incas and Aztecs, Last Seen in August 2008.
Tenth litter born on January 29, 2006, mothered by Flower
Cheetara (VWF103) - Joined the Baobab, Last Seen in December 2008
Wiley Kat (VWF104) - Found dead on the main road in May 2008
Panthro (vWM102) - Dominant male of Commandos, died of TB in April 2009
Eleventh litter born on September 2, 2006, mothered by Flower
Busta (VWM111) - Died of TB in July 2008
Monkulus and Zaphod
Izzy (VWF110) - Died in January 2007
Suggs (VWM109) - Joined the Hoax, Last Seen in September 2007.
Twelvth litter, born on November 20, 2006, mothered by Flower
Ren (VWM112) - Last Seen in December 2006.
Stumpy (VWM113) - Born with a deformed leg, Last Seen in December 2006.
Thirteenth litter, born on September 21, 2009, mothered by Monkulus
Snowflake (VAZF015) Deceased, died of a snake bite in November 2013, former dominant female of Pandora.
Toblerone (VAZF016) Deceaed, died of TB in September 2013, former dominant female of Pandora
Tabie (VAZM017) Deceased, died of TB in November 2012, former member of Mayans.
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