Team Meerkat

Rough Stuff

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In order to defend itself a Meerkat flings itself on its back, bares its teeth and extends its claws in the direction of its aggressor.

This is where 'babysitters' come into play. They sit and guard the young for the mother in the burrow, and such stints can last for hours on end. After 3 weeks the offspring leave the burrow, but babysitters continue to look after them close to the burrow whilst the mother forages.

Practice Makes Perfect

To encourage the young to hunt items with which they are unfamiliar the mother runs around her young trying to tempt them into grabbing it from her. This is essential practice. By the time the next litter is born these youngsters will have to catch their own food and bring food for the next litter. As has been mentioned, the juveniles have teachers to obtain further hunting skills.

By the age of two months the young look like miniature versions of the adults, but they do not reach sexual maturity until one year of age. The lifespan is naturally around 10 years.

Any Danger?

Meerkats are found in the harsh environment of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. Primarily they are distributed to the south of the Orange River in Angola, Namibia, South Africa and southern Botswana.

A Torrid affair. That is the only way to describe courtship between Meerkats. Females initially rebuff the advances of the male, who responds to this by promptly grasping her by the neck before mating with her.

The only members of the whole Mongoose family that may be vulnerable to extinction are the Madagascan species, although even none of these are thought to be endangered. Indeed the Meerkat is not thought to be in any immediate danger despite the erosion of its habitat: dry open plains and semi-arid scrub. However, the continued loss of its habitat could change its status in the near future.