Quck answer
Meerkats are small, social mammals that live in southern Africa. They live in groups called mobs or clans, which can number up to 50 individuals. Meerkats are known for their cooperative behavior, with individuals taking on different roles within the group. They are also skilled hunters, using their keen sense of smell and sharp claws to catch insects, lizards, and small mammals. Meerkats communicate with each other through a variety of vocalizations and body signals. They are an important part of the ecosystem, helping to control insect populations and providing food for larger predators.
Wild Animals
Meerkats’ Diet and Territory
A group of meerkats can be seen foraging while others stand guard in a field.
Mattias Klum/National Geographic/Getty Images
Meerkats are primarily insectivores, which means that they mainly consume insects. However, they also eat small mammals, snakes and snake eggs, birds and bird eggs, grubs, and even poisonous scorpions. They have perfected the art of hunting scorpions to avoid their venom. Meerkats use their sensitive noses to forage for food and eat it on the spot. Their diet typically consists of about 82 percent insects, 7 percent spiders, 3 percent centipedes, 3 percent millipedes, 2 percent reptiles, and 2 percent birds. Depending on the region of the Kalahari Desert where they live, water may be scarce, but they can still find it in tubers and roots [source: University of Michigan].
Meerkats are territorial and the size of their territory depends on the size of their group and the availability of food and water in the area. They are transient by nature and move when their food supply is depleted or they are forced out by a stronger group. The alpha male, the dominant male in the group, marks the group’s territory to protect it from rivals and predators.
Burrows are created by the meerkats in the sand across their territory. They work together to build and renovate their homes through excavation. These burrows are elaborate underground quarters. Although meerkats are capable of building their own burrows, they often share the work and the dwelling with African ground squirrels and yellow mongooses. They will also share their burrows with beetles, which they do not eat, that are content to eat any waste the meerkats leave behind.
Meerkats enter and exit their burrows through several scattered holes in the ground. A network of tunnels connects dens and other entry holes. Dens are used for protection, sleeping, and breeding. Bolt-holes are a sub-system of entrances and tunnels created around the territory and used as safe houses or escapes when danger arises. These holes are especially helpful when the meerkat group is foraging away from the primary burrow entrances.
In addition to the bolt-hole system, meerkats use sentinels, or lookouts, to stay safe. One meerkat, rotating throughout the day, stands watch for approaching predators while the rest of the group concentrates on foraging or other daily activities. If a predator or danger is spotted, the sentinel lets everyone know through a specific bark, similar to sounding an alarm. The meerkats have their own language, with specific calls used as alarms. This is an efficient system of predator detection: In one study, sentinels were able to detect predators more than 150 meters away 77 percent of the time, compared to only 44 percent detected by foraging meerkats [source: University of Cambridge].
In the animal kingdom, meerkats are preyed upon by martial eagles, jackals, hawks, snakes, and even other meerkat gangs. In order to avoid danger, meerkats have several techniques to protect themselves such as running to safety, fighting off attackers, covering their babies, standing tall in alert stance, and mobbing the enemy. When confronted with ground conflict, meerkats use defensive threats and mobbing to appear larger and more intimidating. However, when the threat comes from the sky, meerkats retreat to their burrows for safety.
Meerkats are known for living in cooperative social systems. They have a unique social structure with different roles for each member of the community.
For more information on meerkats, check out Animal Planet’s Meerkat Manor.
FAQ
1. What are meerkats?
Meerkats, or Suricata suricatta, are a type of small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. They are native to the deserts and grasslands of southern Africa and are known for their distinct appearance and social behavior.
2. How do meerkats live?
Meerkats live in groups, called mobs or gangs, of up to 50 individuals. They have a hierarchical social structure, with dominant individuals leading the group. Meerkats are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, and spend most of their time foraging for food and socializing.
3. What do meerkats eat?
Meerkats are omnivores and eat a variety of foods, including insects, small vertebrates, fruit, and seeds. They are known for their ability to eat scorpions, which they are able to neutralize with their venom-resistant saliva.
4. How do meerkats protect themselves?
Meerkats have several adaptations that help protect them from predators. They have sharp claws for digging burrows, excellent eyesight, and can stand on their hind legs to scan the surrounding area for danger. Meerkats also have a unique alarm call system, where individuals take turns standing guard and alerting the group to the presence of predators.
5. How do meerkats reproduce?
Meerkats breed seasonally, with females giving birth to litters of 2-5 pups. The entire group helps care for the young, with individuals taking turns babysitting and providing food. Meerkats reach sexual maturity at around one year of age.
6. How long do meerkats live?
Meerkats have an average lifespan of 5-10 years in the wild, although they can live up to 13 years in captivity.
7. How do meerkats communicate?
Meerkats communicate using a variety of vocalizations and body language. They have different calls for different types of predators, and also use calls to coordinate foraging and warn the group of danger.
8. Why are meerkats important to their ecosystem?
Meerkats play an important role in their ecosystem by controlling insect populations and serving as prey for larger predators. They also help maintain the health of grasslands through their burrowing behavior.
9. Are meerkats endangered?
Meerkats are currently classified as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, their populations are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as predation by domestic dogs and cats.
10. Can meerkats be kept as pets?
Meerkats are not suitable as pets, as they are social animals that require the company of other meerkats. They also have specialized dietary and environmental needs that are difficult to meet in a home setting.
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