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Suricate, meerkat - SURICATA SURICATTA
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Suricate": "Suricate" is a native southern African word for the animal. "Meerkat" is unknown, but probably Afrikaans (South African Dutch) for the animal, which probably means "sea cat," although the animals do not live in the sea, and they are not cats.
Location: South Africa.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Arid, open plains.
Description: It is a small mongoose with a narrow, pointed muzzle, and a striking pattern. On the back, the shoulder and the tail, there is a series of dark stripes running crosswise. On the face, black rings surround the eyes. The ears are black and barely visible. The lower parts of the head and body are usually white. The tail is brown, but darker toward the tip and has a conspicuous black tuft of hair. The length of the head and body is 10 to 14 inches, with a tail of about 10 inches. The weigh is about five pounds.
Behavior: The meerkat is highly sociable and lives in large colonies, often in association with other mongoose species, ground squirrels, or small rodents. It chatters continually. It is active during the day and it is commonly seen basking in the sun near the entrance of the burrow. Although it is quite capable of digging its own burrow, the meerkat prefers to use burrows dug by other animals. It feeds mainly on insects, millipedes, and spiders, which it digs out of the ground. It habitually deposits its droppings in shared places.
Reproduction: Gestation lasts for about 11 weeks, after which two to four young are born. They nurse for about two to three months and reach sexual maturity at about one year.
Note: The meerkat is easy to tame and is often kept as a pet.
Go to the Carnivora Page to learn more about the all the meat-eating animals.
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