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ADOPT AN ANIMAL
Provide help to an animal for as little as £3 a month, and make a connection that lasts.SOME OF THE ANIMALS YOU CAN ADOPT
Meerkat Facts
Name: suricata suricatta
Status: Least Concern
Description: Meerkat fur is short and is usually brownish-orange in colour, however there are various dark markings across their back. Under their fur, they have dark skin, which catches the sun’s heat to keep them warm. Meerkats have long bodies and short legs with sharp, strong claws, which they use for digging.
Habitat: Desert, grassland and scrub forests
Location: Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa
Height: An adult meerkat will grow to a standing height of around 30cm
Weight: Approx 1kg
Lifespan: 10 years in the wild. 15 years in captivity
Diet: Meerkats are omnivorous and feed on a wide variety of food. They will eat grasshoppers, crickets and various fruits aswell as scorpions, spiders and small snakes.
Behaviour: Meerkats are highly social animal, living in groups (called a gang or a mob) of up to 50 members. Each meerkat relies on its family for survival and they communicate using a range of different calls and sounds depending on the situation. When the family is feeding at least one meerkat will adopt the iconic pose and stand on their hind legs to watch for approaching danger, offering a loud warning to the group if they spot anything.
Reproduction: Usually it is only the Alpha male and female who breed in a meerkat gang. However it is not uncommon for other males to breed with wandering alpha females. Normally during the breeding season the alpha female will “banish” other females who are above 10 months old as they are able to breed. These “outcasts” follow the group and rejoin once the alpha has given birth.
After a 70 day gestation the female will give birth to around 5-6 pups which are born in a nursery in the meerkat tunnel. Any member of the meerkat family that produces milk during this time can feed the pups not just the mother. After around 3 weeks the pups will begin exploring (under the watchful eye of a babysitter) and after around 16 weeks they will no longer be fed by an adult and will have to forage for themselves.
Threats: Although not classed as an endangered species, meerkats still face a number of threats. The harsh climate of the kalahari desert, birds of prey and other large predators all threaten the meerkats. However humans pose the largest risk to meerkats through the pet trade which sees thousands of animals taken to be sold as pets. Find out more about how you can help save meerkats.
