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.