Meet The Meerkat

Meerkats are carnivores that are very cat like though they are actually part of the mongoose and civet family. You can tell a meerkat by its ability to stand on its back feet, their short flat ears and long bodies. The coat of a meerkat can be brown, orange, silver or gold. They also usually have dark patches of fur around their eyes. If you have ever looked at these cute little animals and wondered about them, here is a guide to almost everything you ever wanted to know about the meerkat.

• The meerkat is not a big animal and measures a maximum of 11.75 inches from head to rump.
• If you include their tails, then another 9.5 inches can be added to their length.
• They of course do not weigh much either, clocking in at less than 2.2 lbs.

Where do meerkats live?

You can find meerkats in the grasslands and deserts of Africa including North and West South Africa, Southern and Western Namibia and South Western Botswana. You can also find the meerkat in the Lesotho’s lowlands and the extreme South West of Angola. The meerkat is social so it lives in large groups with several meerkat families combining to form what is called a clan, gang or mob. These groups have between 3 to 50 members and there is a dominant female meerkat that leads the group according to the National History Museum.

Lying in the sun

The meerkat resides in an intricate system of underground tunnels called burrows. These animals are able to stay safe from predators in these tunnels and remain cool when the day gets hot. A single burrow can have up to 15 entry and exit holes and can measure as long as 6.5 feet. In contrast with other animals which burrow, the meerkat lives in multiple burrows and rotates through several of them. The meerkat begins its day by either lying in the sun or grooming another meerkat. The rest of the day is spent looking for food. The meerkat group is watched by one member of the gang who will sound the alarm if a predator approaches. The guard is replaced every hour so that all meerkats have a chance to look for food.

What do meerkats eat?

Whilst the meerkat is thought of as being carnivorous, their diet consists of more than simply meat. They have been known to eat fruit, bugs, birds and lizards according to National Geographic. Scorpions are also a particular delicacy for meerkats because adults are immune to scorpion venom.

Baby meerkats

Females can give birth to up to eight babies in a single session however on average the number of offspring is four. The meerkat gives birth underground in order to keep them safe from predators. New born pups weigh between 25 to 36 grams and when they are first born they are deaf, blind and almost completely hairless. Everyone helps in raising the new born meerkats including the father and siblings. By the time the pups reach nine weeks old they are weaned and they reach maturity by the age of one and a half years old. This means they will have the ability to have their own offspring and in general a meerkat lives for up to 8 years in the wild and 13 years in captivity.

Conservation status

The population of meerkats is robust and according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature the meerkat is listed as “least concern” which means that there are no major threats to this species and their numbers are incredibly healthy.