Meerkat

About the Meerkat

Meerkats are small mongooses of the dry open country of southern Africa, and their appeal comes almost entirely from how they organise themselves. They live in burrow systems with many entrances, forage in a loose spread across the surface, and post sentries who stand upright on a mound or bush and keep watch while everyone else digs.

How it lives

The sentry calls constantly while on duty — a running signal that the coast is clear — and switches to distinct alarm calls that tell the group whether the threat is coming from the air or the ground, and how urgent it is. Groups are led by a dominant pair that produces most of the pups; other members babysit, escort youngsters, and teach them to handle dangerous prey such as scorpions by bringing them disabled ones to practise on. Nearly all of the diet is invertebrates, dug out of the sand.

Where it lives

Digs vast burrow networks in dry plains, posting lookouts above ground. Its main habitat is the African Savanna, where the climate is hot all year with dramatic wet and dry seasons, typically 25–35°C.

Notable facts

• Sentries stand tall on hind legs to watch for eagles.
• They're immune to some scorpion venom.
• A group is called a 'mob' or 'gang'.

Conservation

Meerkats are not currently threatened. They occupy arid land of limited agricultural value, they breed quickly, and they tolerate a degree of disturbance. Local populations can be knocked back by drought and disease outbreaks, and they are sometimes taken for the pet trade, which suits neither the animal nor the owner.

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