Meerkat

The Meerkat Is an Iconic yet unique species let's dive In. The Meerkat Is a small mongoose type mammal that weighs between 1.4 and 2.1 pounds. The Meerkat Is between 9 and 14 Inches long. Meerkats stand around 12 to 14 Inches tall when standing up. The Meerkat can be found In 4 countries Botswana, Namibia, Angola, and South Africa. Meerkats have dens as shelters these dens can be up to 16 feet deep with 15 openings! Meerkats are among one of the most social species in their genus, with groups comprising of up to 30 Individuals. Meerkats also have a sophisticated social hierarchy with the more dominant Individuals being the ones who care for the offspring. When a predator come Into the Meerkats area one Meerkat warns the group and then they all retreat In the burrow. Meerkats have a wide variety of prey Including Amphibians, Arthropods, Butterflies, Small birds, small mammals, reptiles, and Beetles. Meerkats breed seasonally with peaks during the rainy season. Litters usually consist between 3 to 7 Individuals. The Meerkats main predators are raptors and wild canids such as the Cape fox and Black backed jackals. Surprisingly though most Meerkats deaths are mainly caused by dispute between other packs. They also have a speed of up to 30 miles per hour. A fun fact about Meerkat Is that the dark circles act like sunglasses around their eyes and they dial down the UV light from the sun. Meerkats also make short noises that warn the other group members and some say oh terrestrial danger or aerial danger. These duties of a Meerkat acts like a security guard position. One odd thing a Meerkat eats Is a scorpion and before they eat the scorpion they get rid of the stinger which shows how smart these mammalians actually are. I hope you enjoyed learning about these amazing mammals.