Meerkats
| Published: 16th May 2008 11:00 |
Marwell Zoological Park, near Winchester, has recently announced the birth of two meerkat kittens. Click here for the news article.
- Meerkats are highly sociable animals, living in large "mobs" or "gangs". In the wild these colonies live in open ground or scrubland and can number anywhere between five to 30 members.
- Meerkats have powerful claws for digging and are capable of excavating burrows, although they prefer to take over tunnels abandoned by other animals. They will often share burrows with yellow mongooses, ground squirrels and other small rodents. Meerkats are active during the day and enjoy basking in the sun. They only use the tunnels for fleeing to safety, for sleeping and for giving birth.
- The entire group of meerkats works as a team, sharing the work load of keeping guard and baby-sitting. When on sentry duty, the meerkat stands on its hind legs using the tip of the tail for support. Their keen eyes can pick out enemies such as birds of prey even when they are high in the sky. The guard gives an alarm call and the meerkats flee to safety.
- Meerkats feed on insects, millipedes and spiders which they find mainly by smell. Mice, birds, lizards and snakes are also caught and killed by biting and shaking. When food is scarce a colony of meerkats may move to a new den, where there is more food.
- Young are born blind and sparsely furred. The mother suckles her young in a sitting position and they will start to take solid food at six weeks. Males often leave the colony they were born in to form a new one.
To watch video clips of Meerkats click here to visit the BBC Worldwide playlist on Youtube
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