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African desert
Meerkat
Suricata suricatta
A small, slender mongoose with dark eye patches and a banded back, living in busy family groups.
- Size
- About 30cm tall when standing up
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- The Kalahari and other dry country in southern Africa
My spotter's list
Scurries after you, stopping to look all round. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the meerkat
GuardSentry duty
While the group feeds, one meerkat stands on a high spot and watches for danger, calling to say all is well.
FamilyA mob
A group of meerkats is called a mob or a gang, and can have forty members.
EyesBuilt-in sunglasses
The dark patches round their eyes cut down the glare of the sun, like sunglasses.
FoodScorpion eaters
Meerkats eat scorpions, and adults teach the pups how to handle them safely.
WarmingSunbathing
Each morning they stand facing the sun to warm up, using a patch of dark skin on the belly.
HomeUnderground towns
They live in burrows with many entrances and rooms, and move between several of them.
The real thing
Photos of the meerkat
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
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Out and aboutHow to spot one
In the Kalahari, look in the first hour after sunrise for a row of meerkats standing upright at a burrow, warming their bellies.
Lend a handHow to help
Meerkats are not suitable pets: they need a large group and room to dig. Enjoy them in the wild or in good zoos.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
African savanna
African river animals live on the African river page: choosing one takes you there.
African river
African rainforest
African desert
Animals from other parts of the world live on their own pages: change area.
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