General Information
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Common Name: Meerkat
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Other Name: Suricate
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Scientific Name: Suricata suricatta
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Family: Herpestidae (mongoose family)
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Origin/Range: Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Angola)
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Habitat: Open, arid regions—savannas, deserts (especially the Kalahari), and scrublands
Physical Description
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Size: 25–35 cm (10–14 in) long, plus 17–25 cm (7–10 in) tail
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Weight: 0.6–1.0 kg (1.3–2.2 lbs)
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Body: Slender, elongated with short legs
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Tail: Long, thin, used for balance (often held upright like a flag)
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Head: Pointed snout, dark eye patches (reduce glare from the sun)
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Ears: Small and rounded, can close to keep dirt out when digging
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Fur: Short, sandy brown or gray with darker bands/stripes on the back
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Lifespan: 6–8 years in the wild; up to 12–14 years in captivity
Behavior & Social Life
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Social Structure: Extremely social; live in colonies called mobs or gangs of 10–30 (sometimes up to 50)
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Hierarchy: Dominant breeding pair leads the group; others assist in raising pups
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Sentinel Behavior: Famous for standing upright on hind legs to keep watch for predators; individuals take turns acting as guards
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Activity: Diurnal (active during the day); spend nights in burrow systems
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Communication: Use a variety of vocalizations—chirps, growls, alarm calls to warn of predators
Diet
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Type: Omnivorous, but mostly insectivorous
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Main Foods: Insects, scorpions, spiders, centipedes, beetles, termites
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Other Foods: Lizards, snakes, small mammals, eggs, fruit, roots, tubers
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Special Ability: Immune to certain venom, allowing them to eat scorpions and venomous snakes
Reproduction
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Breeding: Usually dominated by the alpha pair
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Gestation Period: ~11 weeks (77 days)
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Litter Size: 2–5 pups, several times a year
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Parental Care: Entire mob helps raise the young (babysitting, feeding, protecting)
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Weaning: Around 9 weeks old
Predators & Threats
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Predators: Birds of prey (eagles, hawks), jackals, snakes
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Defenses: Alarm calls, mobbing predators, retreating to burrows
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Conservation Status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
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Threats: Habitat loss, predation, climate change—but populations remain stable
