Meerkat

Meerkat

Description

The meerkat is a small, slender member of the mongoose family, measuring about 24-35 cm in head-and-body length and weighing only around 0.6-0.9 kg. It has a broad head, large dark-ringed eyes, a pointed snout and a thin, tapering tail, with a light brownish coat marked by faint darker bands across the back.

Habitat

Meerkats live in the dry, open landscapes of southern Africa, ranging across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Angola. They favour savannas, semi-deserts and other arid regions with firm ground where they can dig their extensive underground burrow systems.

Diet

They are mainly insectivorous, with beetles, termites and other insects making up nearly 90% of their diet. Meerkats also eat spiders, scorpions, lizards, eggs, small birds and the occasional small snake or rodent.

Reproduction

After a gestation of roughly 11 weeks (about 70-77 days), the dominant female usually gives birth to 2-4 pups, and can raise up to three litters a year. The pups are born blind and helpless and are cared for by the whole group, which teaches them to forage and hunt.

Lifespan

Meerkats live around 12-14 years, and individuals in zoos have reached even greater ages, with the oldest on record close to 20 years.

Did you know?

Meerkats take turns standing guard: while the group forages, a sentry rises upright on a mound or bush to scan for predators and gives distinct alarm calls that warn whether danger comes from the air or the ground.