Slender-tailed Meerkat

Habitat

Meerkats live in dry, open areas of grassland.

Wild Diet

Scorpions, beetles, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, worms, crickets, small mammals, small reptiles, birds, eggs, tubers and roots.

Behaviour

Part of the mongoose family, meerkats are highly territorial animals that live in groups of up to 30 known as a ‘mob’ or a ‘gang’. Members of each mob will perform ‘sentry duty’ - standing up on their hind legs and standing alert, listening and watching for danger like soldiers on duty. When danger is spotted, the sentry meerkat will give out a call which will let the rest of the mob know exactly what the danger is. There are different calls given for different threats.

Breeding

The dominant male and female in a group are usually the only ones to successfully breed, but very occasionally other females will reproduce. Up to five young will be born below ground after a gestation period of 11 weeks, and non-breeding adults will help to care for the young.

Threats

The main predators for meerkats are martial eagles and jackals. There are no real threats to their survival as a species.

Conservation

Across its range, the meerkat occurs within several large and well protected areas.