:: Professor Paul's Guide to Mammals : Carnivora;Carnivores : Living mammals,family Herpestidae;mongooses : Meerkat;Suricata suricatta

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Home Professor Paul's Guide to Mammals Carnivora;Carnivores Living mammals,family Herpestidae;mongooses

Meerkat;Suricata suricatta

Last update: 31-12-69

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Range and Habitat

The suricate, more commonly known as the meerkat, lives throughout southern Africa, in the countries of Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. They live in the dry, open plains that have hard or stony ground.

Physical Appearance

Meerkats' long fur is generally a grizzled grey or brownish color with a reddish undercoat and a lighter underside and face. They have several bands of a dark brown to black color across their back, from the mid back to the base of the tail. The hair is sparse on their belly, so when they stand up on their hind legs, their underside appears grey. They are the only mongoose in the subfamily Herpestinae besides the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) that have banded markings. Their ears and tail tip are black, and the areas right around their eyes are dark. Their hands have very powerful claws. Females are significantly larger than the males, especially when they are pregnant. Unlike other mongoose species, the meerkat has a noticeable stop (indentation that creates a noticeable division between the forehead and muzzle). They have a domed skull with a medium-length pointed muzzle, and very low-set rounded ears. They have four toes on each foot. The tail is thin and covered with short hair. Females have 6 mammae.

Diet

The meerkat is primarily insectivorous, feeding on beetle larvae, caterpillars and pupae of moths and butterflies, fly larvae, termites, crickets, and other invertebrates like spiders and scorpians. They will also feed on small lizards and amphibians, small eggs and some vegetation.

Behavior

Meerkats are gregarious, diurnal and terrestrial. They live in large groups numbering from 3-30 individuals, without any apparent heirarchy. Home ranges average 15.5 km² and contain up to 5 warrens, which range in size from a simple burrow to a huge underground labyrinth 25x32m across and having up to 90 entrances. The average warren, however, is 5 m across with 15 entrances, and can run 1.5-2 m deep. The meerkats construct these burrows themselves. These burrows tend to fluctuate less radically in temperature compared to the outside.

They are active only in the daytime, and are sensitive to the cold. They will curl up with each other in the den to keep warm at night. They will also sun themselves by standing on their hind legs. They also stand on their hind legs to watch for predators. They are very playful with each other, but very hostile to outsiders. More than one female breeds in the colony. Males will emigrate from other colonies, but females usually stay in their natal colony.

They wake up well after sunrise, cautiously emerging from their burrows. Eventually, the entire colony is clustered outside the entrances, sunbathing and practicing social grooming. They then separate and start foraging. They forage separately, but keep in visual and vocal contact with each other. They will take a different route in their home range every day, giving about a week or so for the prey to rebuild its population in a given area. They use their sense of smell to locate prey, and dig with their long, curved claws to excavate their prey from the soil. While the majority of the colony is foraging, a few take turns as sentinals, standing on their hind legs to watch for danger.

Reproduction

Meerkats breed once a year, usually from September to October, with the young born in November and December. A band will usually contain several breeding males and females. The young weigh 25-26 grams at bith, and open their eyes at 10-14 days old. Weaning begins at 3-4 weeks, and they are fully weaned by 7-9 weeks old. Both parents and the rest of the band care for the young. Outsiders, who are usually males, are left in charge of babysitting the young more often than true members of the clan. Nonbreeding members of the band also help raise the young, by guarding, babysitting, and bringing food to the young and the nursing mother.

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