HABITAT AND RANGE:
The Meerkat inhabits all parts of the
Kalahari Desert, which spreads over the
countries of southern Africa: Namibia,
Angola, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
The Meerkat is a small member of the
mongoose family. The males weigh
approximately 1.61 pounds and the
females weigh about 1.58 pounds. Their
bodies measure about 10 to 14 inches,
with an additional 7 to 10 inches of
tail length. Their tails are not bushy,
like other mongoose species, but rather
long and thin; it tapers to a black or
reddish pointed tip. The tail is used by
the Meerkat when standing upright. The
Meerkat’s eyes are circled by black
patches, which help to deflect the sun’s
rays. They can see a predatory bird as
they look directly into the sun. Their
ears are small, black and
crescent-shaped, which can close when
digging to keep sand out. Meerkats have
non-retractable, strong, long curved
claws that are used for digging burrows
and hunting prey. These claws are on the
hind legs, which they will occasionally
use to climb trees. The coat of the
Meerkat is usually fawn, peppered with
gray, tan or brown, with a silver tint.
They have short parallel stripes across
their backs, extending from the base of
the tail to the shoulders. Each Meerkat
has a unique stripe pattern. There are
no marking on the belly of a Meerkat,
but it does have a patch which is
sparsely covered with hair and shows the
black skin underneath. This area is used
to absorb heat while standing on its
rear legs, usually early in the morning,
after a cold desert night. Their coats
act as both an insulation to keep heat
in and an exhaust system to prevent them
from overheating. In the winter, they
will spread their hair out to create a
heat insulation effect, much like a wet
suit.
ADAPTATIONS:
Meerkats are very social animals, living
in colonies that average 20 to 30
members. They live in underground
burrows, which consist of entrance
holes, tunnels and sleeping chambers.
There may be up to 70 different
entrances to the burrow system. They are
territorial and maintain an area of
about one to three square miles. Their
territorial expansion depends on the
size of the gang, as well as the
abundance of food and water in the area.
The alpha male of the gang will mark
their territory with the use of their
anal glands or saliva from their cheeks.
The alpha male will also mark the
subordinates of the group to express
their authority. The subordinates, in
turn, will groom the alpha. Meerkats
also practice what appears to be
altruistic behavior within their
colonies. One or more Meerkats will act
as a lookout while the others are
foraging for food or playing, to watch
for dangers. A warning bark will alert
the others to any impending danger. The
Meerkats will then scatter and go into
their burrows. The sentry is the first
to reappear and search for predators,
barking the whole time. When the coast
is clear, the sentry will stop barking.
DIET:
Meerkats are primarily insectivores, but
they also eat lizards, snakes,
scorpions, spider, eggs, small mammals,
plants and rarely, small birds. They are
able to eat scorpions due to a partial
immunity to their venom. Since Meerkats
have no excess body fat, they need to
forage for food daily. They will make
use of a water source if one is nearby,
but they can also get all their required
liquids from their diet.
REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT:
Mating in the colony is supposed to be
reserved for the alpha male and alpha
female, but things often happen to
change this. The alpha male may die or
get overthrown by another male or the
alpha female will mate with a wandering
member of another colony. They will not,
however, mate with a direct family
member. When the alpha female is ready
to breed, she will chase away all other
females over the age of 10 months, who
can bear young. The beta females will
often get impregnated by males from
other gangs. These births are either
aborted or the mother attempts to sneak
her young in with the pups of the alpha
female. If the alpha notices, she will
kill and eat the beta pups. Although
they can breed every two months, they
are more successful when they breed two
to three times a year, depending on food
availability. The gestation period is 70
days, resulting in a litter of 5 or 6
pups. The pups stay in the underground
burrow for the first 3 weeks. They are
weaned at 7 to 9 weeks of age.
STATUS IN WILD:
Meerkats are not threatened in the wild
