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Meerkat
There’s no mistaking our cheeky mob of meerkats! They can be spotted easily in their home opposite Baboon Rock either playing, sunbathing, or standing sentry.
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Family:
Herpestidae
About the meerkat
A member of the mongoose family, the meerkat is endemic to dry, open savannah and grasslands across southern Africa, most commonly found in the Kalahari Desert.
Meerkats are social animals and inhabit territories in groups known as mobs which can range from 3 - 40 individuals. Their preferred habitats are rocky crevices and open plains, creating intricate burrow systems for shelter from the harsh sun.
Despite their small size, meerkats are actually carnivores. They have a great sense of smell, meaning they can easily locate prey and dig it out using their clawed feet. Their diet mainly consists of insects, eggs, and small mammals.
The dark patches around the eyes of a meerkat play an important function: they protect their eyes from the glare of the sun, rather like a pair of sunglasses!
Conservation
As they breed readily and have a significant range, there are no major threats currently facing the meerkat. However, misconceptions about disease spread, particularly tuberculosis, have led to them being actively persecuted in some areas.
In the wild, meerkats are an important part of the ecosystem, providing food for larger animals that are their natural predators, but also consuming a range of invertebrates that can act as a form on control on prey populations. Meerkats have even been domesticated to control invasive rodent populations!