Meerkat

Fast Facts

Common Name: Meerkat, Slender-tailed Meerkat, Suricate

Scientific Name: Suricata suricatta

Family: Herpestidae

Order: Carnivora

Class: Mammalia

Range: Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa

Habitat: Arid and semi-arid grasslands, deserts

Lifespan: 10-12 years in the wild; 12-15 years in captivity

Conservation Status: Lower Risk

What do they look like?

Meerkats are in the mongoose family. They are small animals, weighing one to two pounds. Their bodies are 10-14 inches long with a long tail adding an additional 7-10 inches. Meerkats have black skin that absorbs heat while sunbathing. Their coats are tan and grey and have stripes running across their backs, which are unique to each individual. Meerkats have pointed faces with black eyes, ears, and noses. Their eyes face forward, providing binocular vision, and their ears can be closed to keep dirt out while digging. They have thin legs with long, strong, non-retractable claws that are used to dig burrows, forage for food, and climb trees or termite mounds.

How do they behave?

Meerkats are a territorial, but gregarious and altruistic species. They form cooperative groups of 5-30 members called “gangs,” “mobs,” or “clans.” Complex burrows are dug throughout the group’s territory. Meerkats have separate dens for sleeping, rearing young, and even a latrine (bathroom)! Meerkats are diurnal, emerging from their burrows during the day to forage. They have great distance vision and the black patches of fur around their eyes cut down glare, allowing them to spot predators even when staring directly into the sun. However, their vision up close is poor. Their impeccable sense of smell allows them to locate food with ease. While the group is foraging, a sentry is always on duty. The sentry will watch for predators while balancing on two legs and their tail, sounding a warning call if danger is spotted.

What’s on the menu?

Meerkats eat mostly insects, but also feed on arachnids, millipedes, centipedes, snakes, lizards, small mammals, eggs, and plants. Because meerkats do not store much fat, they must forage for food daily. At the zoo, they are fed dry cat food, meat, insects, eggs, fruit, and vegetables.

How are they born?

An alpha pair presides over the gang, though others are still usually permitted to mate. Meerkats reach sexual maturity around one year of age. Gestation lasts approximately eleven weeks. Litters generally produce one to five pups, although three is most common. In the wild, a single female can have up to four litters per year as there is no specific breeding season. Pups are born with hair, but require parental care. At three weeks old, pups are permitted to leave the burrow. The event is accompanied by the rest of the group standing guard. Other meerkats often “babysit” the alpha female’s young. Even females that have never had their own young may lactate to feed the alpha pair’s young!

How’d they get the name “meerkat”?

“Meerkat” is a word borrowed from the Afrikaans language spoken in South Africa. Meerkat translates to “lake cat” but is commonly used in the region to refer to any mongoose. Originally misidentified, meerkats are neither cats, nor attracted to lakes.