The Meerkats By Amber Davis General Information Meerkats

The Meerkats By : Amber Davis

General Information • Meerkats fit into the vertebrate group of mammals. • The meerkat’s scientific name is Suricata suricatta. • The lifespan of a meerkat is up to 10 years.

Physical Characteristics • • • A meerkat has a pale, sand colored coat that provides good camouflage. Meerkats weigh 2 -4 ounces, but the female is larger than the male. A meerkat’s head and body are 10 -14 inches long and their tails are 6. 6 -10 inches long. Meerkats are covered in fur. Meerkats have 4 very long, strong claws on each forepaw for digging. Meerkats also have a long slender body that helps it slip quickly into their burrows.

Habitat • Meerkats live in dry plains and semi deserts of Southern Africa. There are dead bushes and termite mounds where they can look for predators. • Daytime temperatures can rise above 129 degrees Fahrenheit. Even in basking heat the meerkat still stays alert.

Behaviors • Meerkats mainly eat insects, but when meerkats smell food they start digging. The hole might have 2 geckos or a small rodent. Two meerkats might team up and kill it. • Meerkats get their food by digging into a hole that their prey had made to hide. • Meerkats give birth to live young and they give birth once a year. • Meerkats can have 2 -5 babies, but they usually have 4.

Interesting Facts • Meerkats take turns to watch out for predators while the others forage. They will stand up on their hind legs and use their tails as a third leg. • Meerkats have sharp eyesight with good color vision so they can stare into a bright sky and spot birds of prey. • Meerkats will attack snakes to drive them away from their burrows. Meerkats even attack poisonous snakes even though they aren’t immune to venom.