WHAT'S
IN A NAME?
Also known as the suricate, the name meerkat is Afrikaans. The
English translation is "marsh cat", although they
do not live near marshes and they are not cats. In fact, meerkats
are members of the mongoose family and inhabit the Kalahari
Desert of Southern Africa.
They are social animals and live in colonies of up to forty
individuals. These may consist of several family groups and
are known as "gangs".
MEERKAT
Scientific name :
(Suricata suricatta)
Distribution:
Southern Africa
Life Span: 10 - 12 years
Height (standing): 30cm
Length (including tail):
50cm
THE HOME RANGE
The gangs' home range can be extensive and may contain several
warrens ranging in size from simple burrows to a huge labyrinth
with more than fifty entrances. Meerkats sometimes share their
burrows with ground squirrels and yellow mongooses. Competition
for food is not a problem as the squirrels' diet is entirely
different, and yellow mongooses forage much further away from
the burrow and feed more on small mammals than insects.
FEEDING HABITS
Meerkats are mainly insectivores (insect eaters), turning rocks
over or digging for beetles, grubs, termites, spiders and other
hidden invertebrates. They also eat snakes and lizards, and
will even tackle scorpions, biting off the poisonous sting and
eating the rest. Occasionally they will eat small mammals they
come across with a well-aimed bite to the back of the neck.
TEAMWORK TASKS
The social structure of a gang of meerkats is divided into several
important tasks. Its success as a colony is dependant on each
adult carrying out the task at which it is most talented, so
teamwork is essential.
The tasks: ALPHA MALE and ALPHA FEMALE: they are not the "King
and Queen" of the gang. In fact there is little hierarchy
within the group. They are the individuals who see to most of
the reproduction. The females will produce litter after litter
throughout the season, each litter consisting of about three
babies, called pups.
BABYSITTERS: - stay close to the burrows and protect
the pups while their parents are away hunting for food.
HUNTERS: - hunt together in teams and share their prey with
the other members of the gang.
TEACHERS: - show the pups how to hunt and how to survive.
GUARDIANS: - stand on their hind legs watching for predators
such as birds of prey, jackals and hyenas.
