Meerkat
Class: Mammals
Order: Carnivores
Family: Herpestidae
Weight: 600 g to 1.2 kg
Height: 25-35 cm
Body Length: about 20 cm
Color: Orange-brown
Age of Sexual Maturity: About 1 year
Gestation Period: Approximately 77 days
Lifespan: Up to 5 years in the wild, up to 14 years in captivity
Habitat: Southern regions of the African continent, including Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Angola, and Lesotho. High populations are found in the Kalahari and Namib deserts.
Diet: Insects, lizards, snakes, spiders, centipedes, scorpions, bird eggs, and some plants
Did you know?
- Female meerkats can feed their young by standing on their hind legs and holding the baby with their front legs.
- When digging burrows, their ears close to prevent dirt from entering.
- Meerkats can remember thousands of burrow entrances and can find any of them quickly in case of danger.
- Young meerkats are very afraid of predatory birds and even consider airplanes a threat.
- Meerkats can obtain water from plant roots and fruits. Adult meerkats have developed immunity to the venom of snakes and scorpions.
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