Meerkats are animals that are natives to the deserts of South Africa. Here are some interesting facts about them.
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Do you remember Timon from 'The Lion King'? Timon, along with Pumbaa, aids Simba. Timon is an animated meerkat. Do you know what a meerkat is?
Meerkats are small animals related to mongoose, belonging to the genus Suricata in the family Herpestidae. They are native to South Africa, particularly the Kalahari desert.
Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are adapted to the harsh conditions of the desert. They have a slow metabolism, helping them to thrive with less food and water. The average lifespan is 12 to 14 years. Nowadays, these are raised in zoos, and are also getting increasingly popular as pets.
Physical Features
Meerkats are small furry animals weighing around 700 grams to a kilogram. They have long, slender bodies, averaging 10 to 14 inches in length, with long and slender limbs.
The meerkat has a long, tapering non-fluffy tail, often reddish-brown to black. It's used for balance when standing. Their body color is fawn, with parallel markings in brown, gray, or black.
They have a small, hairless part on their bellies used to absorb heat when standing. Distinguishing features include black markings around their eyes and brownish snouts.
They have small, black, semicircular ears that can close to keep sand out while digging or during sandstorms. Equipped with sharp, non-retractable claws, they aid in burrowing.
It is said that these animals can dig out a considerable amount of sand or dirt, in a few seconds. They have a very good vision, and it is said that the black markings around their eyes help them to minimize the Sun's glare.
Habitat
In deserts, meerkats dig tunnels inside the sand, with multiple access holes and separate sleeping chambers. They may share burrows with yellow mongooses and ground squirrels.
Meerkats are social animals living in large groups called mobs, gangs, or clans, with 40 to 50 members. Each member is assigned a different task.
They can emit different voices and calls. Different types of calls indicate different purposes. While some indicate presence of a prey, others are for cautioning other members about an approaching predator. Cobras, martial eagles, falcons, hawks, and jackals, are common predators.
Meerkats dine on insects, spiders, millipedes, scorpions, eggs, plants, snakes, lizards, small mammals, roots, bulbs, watermelon, bugs, bones, and fruits. They're immune to snake and scorpion venom.
Meerkats, social creatures, reside in colonies. Breeding peaks in warmer seasons. Gestation lasts 11 months, yielding litters of 1 to 5 pups.
It has been noticed that breeding is mostly done by the alpha pair, who may kill the young ones produced by other group members. The young ones get sexually mature as they reach 12 months of age. In short, meerkats are animals with some interesting features.