Meerkat Facts!
Fast meerkat facts
Scientific name: Suricata suricatta
Family name: Herpestidae
Classification: Mammal
IUCN status: Least concern
Lifespan (in wild): 12-14 years
Weight: Less than one kilogram
Body length: Around 29cm (plus a 19cm tail)
Top speed: 32 km/h
Diet: Omnivore: beetles, caterpillars, spiders, and scorpions. They’ll also eat small reptiles, birds, eggs, fruit and plants.
Habitat: Desert
Range:
There are few animals on Earth who work as well together as meerkats. These squirrel-size members of the mongoose family live in groups of different sizes, from as little as three to as big as 50 members. everyone in the mob participates in gathering food, keeping a look out for predators and taking care of the babies.
Meerkats live in the deserts and grasslands of the southern tip of Africa. They are super cute, with bushy, brown-striped fur, a small, pointed face and large eyes surrounded by dark patches. They average about 50 centimetres long, including their tail. These extremely social animals live together in burrows, which they dig with their long, sharp claws. Living underground keeps mob members safe from predators and out of the harsh African heat. These burrows can be 5 metres long and contain multiple entrances, tunnels, and rooms. A group will use up to five separate burrows at a time.
Meerkats only go outside during the daytime. Each morning, as the sun comes up, the mob emerges and begins looking for food. They use their keen sense of smell to locate their favourite foods, which include beetles, caterpillars, spiders and scorpions. They”ll also eat small reptiles, birds, eggs, fruit and plants. Back at the burrow, several babysitters stay behind to watch over newborn pups. This duty rotates to different members of the mob, and a sitter will often go all day without food. The babysitters” main job is to protect pups from meerkats in rival mobs who, if given the chance, will kill the babies. Eeek!
While the rest of the mob forages for food, one of the meerkats (or sometimes more), called a sentry, will find a high point, like a termite mound, and perch on its back legs. From here it scans the sky and desert for predators such as eagles, hawks and jackals. A sentry who senses danger will let out a high-pitched squeal, sending the mob scrambling for cover.
Meerkats dig safe places called bolt holes throughout their foraging area, where they can hide in an emergency. But if caught in the open by a predator, a meerkat will try to look fierce, lying on its back and showing its teeth and claws. If a group is confronted, the meerkats will stand together, arching their backs, raising their hair and hissing. This sometimes fools an attacker into thinking they are a single large, vicious animal.
Meerkats are abundant throughout their range and are not considered threatened or endangered. But they live a very difficult life in the African desert, constantly threatened by hungry predators, rival meerkats, drought and burrow-flooding rainstorms.
Picture credits
Meerkat watching for predator: Joel Sartore, National Geographic Creative. Group of meerkats: Nico Smit, Dreamstime. Meerkat group on rock: tratong, Shutterstock. Meerkat sitting on log: Kjuuurs, Dreamstime. Map of meerkat distribution: National Geographic Maps.
What do you make of our meerkat facts? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
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COMMENTS1
milly
i like meerkats they're so cool
bob
Gus
I think meerkats are super cute.
Cool
Lama
This is awsome
Chloe and Cassandra
Koala
Great
Hayden
cccccccooooooooollllllll
chloeo
hi
shappy
good information's about meerkats
Cool
COOL!
COOL!
goddardtuhakarainar
i think meerkats are extraodinary animals
waza
great website, learnt a lot
ai
cool
cat407
hi am the best
liam
i am finding facts about meerkats for a speech up up national gegraphic kids
good
hera
cool i looooooooooooooove meerkats
GuestOct312018
Nice
ava.
cool. I love meerkats, there funny.
looo
i didnt know that!!!!!!!
Amelie
Cool
cool
turtleshark99
this great! meerkats!
I love the cute pictures!
Tftfthtftfj
sall
it was cool
Akakam
nice
Koko
Hi This is goood
jj
awsome
giraffe girl
sooooo cute this will help me with my information report thanks so much
Layla.McMullan
these pictures of merrkats are so sweet there my favorite animal.
Lilly
Cool!
Cool!
travis
nikey
this is a nice i like the book
jeffry star
cowabunga dude
matthew
gooood
Michael
Cool!
Lara
Awesome
Meerkats are awesome
Weird animal thing
I love meerkats
Azharul
cool
nice
mummmmmmmmmmmhepinchedme
So cool!
Sunday
Cool dude
Claudia
I love ❤️ meerkats
Oscar L.W
This is really helpful for a meerkat info thingy I am writing! M-cats are my fave animal!
madi
cool
Lara
Cool
Chris
This is so cool
Lara
Great website and really handy
Kiwi
Cool
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coooooooooooooooolkaleb
Some things i did not know
justin
the facs are cool
nice
nice cool lol cute wow
nice cool lol cute funny
Me
Very helpful! :)
jeff
great
So cool
dog
woah
Cool
Marko
this helps my school assembly thank you!!!!!
zaylah
wow
bob
good
Nat
Cool information
Unicorncatnic
This was very helpful for school
Cool
Cool!
Ryan
doesnt say who found them
Doreen Green AKA Squirrel Girl
I love meerkats
Doreen Green AKA Squirrel Girl
I love meerkats
miro
great info
anshi
So cool!!!!!!!!
lyla
hi, i would love to be a zoo keeper at perth zoo. i study biology to get a degree when i an older . i am hoping to be a meerkat keeper which is in the african savana area of the zoo also known as exotic. i love meerkats
coopdatroop
i luv meerkats i am going 2 the zoo on monday with my class room i am doing a meerkat report and that is why i went onto the meerkat facts
shyla
nice facts
ethan
meerkat are awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
puffefish
this was in the reptile page what???? but i love-ove-ove meerkats my table at school was called meerkats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SO CUTE
I ❤️ Mearkats
Hannah
I'm loving it
maddison
i adore meerkats .im a big fan of them.
Jack
I ♥️Meerkats
Lilly
The picture are so cute
tahlia
i love mearkats
Lili
Meerkats are so cool!
Chloe
Good
mnecherry
awesome!!
nissa
the facts were relly relly good
Lottie
I DIDNT EVEN KNOW THAT!
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