Meerkat Facts
Meerkat Facts
Common Name: Meerkat, Slender-tailed Meerkat, Suricate ,Lake Cat
1. Meerkats are in the mongoose family.
2. “Meerkat” is a word borrowed from the Afrikaans language spoken in South Africa. Meerkat translates to “lake cat” but is commonly used in the region to refer to any mongoose. Originally misidentified, meerkats are neither cats, nor attracted to lakes.
3. They are small animals, weighing one to two pounds. Their bodies are 10-14 inches long with a long tail adding an additional 7-10 inches.
4. Meerkats have black skin that absorbs heat while sunbathing. Their coats are tan and grey and have stripes running across their backs, which are unique to each individual.
5. Meerkats have pointed faces with black eyes, ears, and noses. Their eyes face forward, providing binocular vision, and their ears can be closed to keep dirt out while digging. They have thin legs with long, strong, non-retractable claws that are used to dig burrows, forage for food, and climb trees or termite mounds.
6. They are found in southern Africa, south of the Orange River, including Angola, Nambia, South Africa and southern Botswana.
7. Meerkats are omnivores. They eat insects, spiders and other small animals, as well as roots and bulbs.
8. Meerkats make at least 10 different vocalisations. These include a threatening growl and an alarm bark. As they search for food they utter a 'vurruk-vurruk'.
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9. Meerkats are a territorial, but gregarious and altruistic species. They form cooperative groups of 5-30 members called “gangs,” “mobs,” or “clans.” 10. Complex burrows are dug throughout the group’s territory. Meerkats have separate dens for sleeping, rearing young, and even a latrine (bathroom)!
11. Meerkats are diurnal, emerging from their burrows during the day to forage.
12. They have great distance vision and the black patches of fur around their eyes cut down glare, allowing them to spot predators even when staring directly into the sun. However, their vision up close is poor.
13. Their impeccable sense of smell allows them to locate food with ease. While the group is foraging, a sentry is always on duty. The sentry will watch for predators while balancing on two legs and their tail, sounding a warning call if danger is spotted.
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Sentry
14. The meerkat is fairly common in Africa. Its main predators are raptors, like hawks and eagles, and jackals and snakes.15. An alpha pair presides over the gang, though others are still usually permitted to mate. Meerkats reach sexual maturity around one year of age.
16. Gestation lasts approximately eleven weeks. Litters generally produce one to five pups, although three is most common. In the wild, a single female can have up to four litters per year as there is no specific breeding season.
17. Pups are born with hair, but require parental care. At three weeks old, pups are permitted to leave the burrow. The event is accompanied by the rest of the group standing guard. Other meerkats often “babysit” the alpha female’s young. Even females that have never had their own young may lactate to feed the alpha pair’s young!
18. They are excellent diggers that can dig their own weight in dirt in a matter of seconds.
19. When danger is signaled by a member of the colony, the meerkats make a dash for the nearest burrow.
20. Meerkats have been observed to demonstrate an elaborate set of signals that appear to have specifc meanings as to the nature of the threat at hand. An upright tail, for instance, might signal a threat from overhead; such as the sighting of vulture or hawk.
21. Meerkats have a very keen sense of smell and excellent eyesight, which are major aids in the detection of food or the spotting of potential predators.
22. Meerkats have other strategies for defense against rival groups or to ward off predators. When a confrontation occurs, meerkats will begin digging frantically, throwing clouds of dust into the air to try and distract the rival group or threatening predator.
23. Another strategy that has been observed when a group feels threatened, is the entire group will advance in a pack towards the aggressor or aggressors, with hair bristling and stage a series of mock attacks to try and scare away the intruder.
24. During such confrontations, meerkats will make themselves appear as large and as fearsome as possible by arching their bodies, stretching out their legs and holding their tails erect. The entire group will then advance on the intruder, continuously leaping into the air and growling aggressively. More aggressive members of the meerkat group may even bite the intruder.
25. When a meerkat is put on the defensive, it will throw itself back with teeth bared and claws stretched out towards its attacker. Meerkats are powerful diggers and their sharp claws and strong legs make formidable weapons against an attacker.
26. When a meerkat has prey in sight, it will strike the prey with its front paws frst before killing it with a bite. The meerkat will tear the prey into pieces before carrying back the remains to share with others in the burrow.
27. Meerkats are known to attack and kill scorpions and poisonous snakes for food and are believed to be immune to their poisons. Meerkat teachers will show juveniles how to hunt for food and baby sitters remain near the burrow to care for the young while mothers are out hunting.
28. In Africa, meerkats are often kept as pets and used to keep the mice population down, especially on farms.
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