- Fact 2 - The meerkat is the mongoose family.
- Fact 3 - Meerkats tend to stand on
their hind legs to survey their surroundings
- Fact 4 - Meerkats are found in all
parts of Kalahari Desert, in South Africa and Botswana
- Fact 5 - A group of meerkats is
called a "mob","gang" or "mannor"
- Fact 6 - The scientific name of
meerkats is Suricata suricatta and these fascinating animals are
sometimes called "suricates"
- Fact 7 - Meerkats live family
groups in holes in the ground (burrows)
- Fact 8 - Meerkats stats and
facts
- Weight: Males - 731 grams;
Female-720 grams
- Length: 25 to 35cm
- Tail Length: 17 to 25cm (The
meerkat uses its tail to balance)
- Habitat:
deserts and hardened ground with stony rivers and river banks
- Lifespan: 12 - 14 years
- Speed: Up to 37 mph (60 km/hr)
- Diet: Meerkats eat insects,
lizards, snakes, scorpions, spiders, birds, plants, eggs and
other small mammals
- Offspring: 1-5 pups
- Fact 9 - They get up later on cold
or rainy days just like humans!
- Fact 10 - Meerkats have very long
claws that help them dig and fight
- Fact 11 - The back of the Meerkat
is furry and it has stripes for camouflage
- Fact 12 - Meerkats have ears that
can open and close in order for them to keep sand out when they
are burrowing
- Fact 13 - Meerkats act as guards
when their family group is eating
- Fact 14 - Predators: Eagles, hawks,
and falcons hunt Meerkats
- Fact 15 - There is an extremely
successful television advertising campaign in the UK starring an
animated meerkat.
- Fact 16 - Alexander the meerkat's
catchphrase is 'Simples' (meaning easy) and is so popular that
the word is about to gain an entry in the Oxford English
Dictionary
- Fact 17 -
Endangered Species:
Meerkats are not an endangered species. Its conservation status
is of "least concern"
|
