Meerkat Facts
Meerkat Facts
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Meerkats are cute little creatures that belong to the mongoose family. They live in arid and semi-arid areas of South Africa. Eagles, hawks and falcons hunt meerkats, but they are not endangered.
| Interesting Meerkat Facts: |
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| Meerkats are small in size. They can reach 12 inches in height and weigh up to 2 pounds. |
| Meerkats live in groups called "mobs" which consist of 2-3 families of meerkats. One mob shares a single burrow. |
| They are highly social animals and they like to play or groom each other. Besides fun time, each member of the mob has its own duty which benefits the whole group. |
| When they hunt, some members look out for the predators, while others work on the hunting strategy. |
| In the case of danger, meerkats alert other members of the mob using specific sounds. |
| Meerkats are territorial animals. Average size of their territory is 4 square miles. They dig holes throughout the whole territory and use them as shelters in the case of danger. |
| Meerkats hunt and eat insects, scorpions, small lizards, snakes, eggs. They also eat roots and bulbs. |
| They are immune to the venom of scorpions and snakes. |
| Since they live in arid areas, they get all the water they need from the food they eat. |
| Meerkats have excellent eyesight, sense of smell and hearing. |
| They stand on their hind legs while they survey their environment. Female can even nurse their babies in the standing position. |
| Meerkats mate during rainy season and have few litters each year. Female gives birth to 2-5 pups. They are hairless, blind and their ears are closed. Pups stay in the burrow with their mother couple of weeks, until they become ready to eat the solid food. |
| Adult meerkats take care of their pups in shifts. |
| Adult meerkats teach young what they should eat. Young meerkats are afraid of predators and they will hide in the barrow even if they see an airplane. |
| Meerkats live up to 10 years in the wild and up to 13 years in the captivity. |
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