(by 3 people)
This is about the meerkat. A herpestid that inhabits southern Africa. Although they are sometimes kept as pets in Africa, there are strict laws by the Department of Fish and Game in the US regarding them as a potentially dangerous animal. The meerkat is not an endangered species.
The Meerkat
Not a rodent, but a relative of the mongoose.
The meerkat has become very popular of late due to the Animal Planet television show entitled, "Meerkat Manor". The meerkat often reminds people of prairie dogs, because meerkats use the same lookout techniques used by prairie dogs. Meerkats are not, however, related to the prairie dog.The suricata suricatta is a member of the mongoose family that lives in arid open climates. They live in packs of multiple family groups with dens under the ground. They eat mainly insects, but will also forage for small invertebrates, eggs and plants. One of the reason for restrictions on keeping these animals is because they will eat small mammals when in captivity. They are also master escape artists and have to have special enclosures to keep them contained.
The meerkat are diurnal animals that are very much controlled by the heat of the sun. They are active when the sun warms the soil of their burrows. They use a sentinal when they are foraging away from their burrows and the sentinal will bark when it senses danger.
Meerkats on Cafepress
Picture yourself with your own meerkats.
You cannot own your own meerkat, even zoos have to be specially approved to house them. But you can get gifts and shirts with these cute dudes on them.
Good Places to Go
- BuffaloWorks Photography Store
- The photos of BuffaloWorks Photography represent a glimpse of our world. The flora and fauna that we live with and from other places. Along with that are some of the things that man has created in this world, buildings, cities and vehicles. You can color your world with gifts from our store.
- Animal Deversity Web - meerkats
- Animal Diversity Web is produced by the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. This site is packed full of information about animals. The site includes photos, sounds, taxology, habitat, and much much more about a vast array of animals. This link should take you to the page specifically about meerkats.
- Meerkat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Your continued donations keep Wikipedia running!
Meerkat From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Meerkat is an English loan word from the Dutch, with the literal meaning "marsh cat". However, the name has been superseded in Dutch by stokstaartje ("little stick-tail"), and the word only kept its original meaning in Afrikaans and English.
According to African popular belief (mainly in the Zambian/Zimbabwean region), the meerkat is also known as the sun angel, as it protects villages from the moon devil or the werewolf which attack stray cattle or lone tribesmen." - Oakland Zoo: Meerkat
- This is a quote from the Oakland Zoo article about meerkats.
"A meerkat is not a cat, but is a suricate, a member of the mongoose family. (The name meerkat is the general Afrikaans term for mongoose.). Although they sometimes sit up like prairie dogs they are no relation. When stiffly sitting or standing in the exhibit, they are not begging, but are scanning for danger. Vocal communication consists of: murmuring (any activity); growling and spitting (offensive threat); clucking (scolding); peeping (guard's assurance that he's on duty); a clear drawn-out call (avian predators); waauk-waauk, a gruff warning call (ground predators); alarm bark (defiance); and a soft wurruck-wurruck (contentment)." - The Meerkat Mpango
- Your direct resource for an incredible amount of **meerkat** information (we've also got lots of other mammals, as well!)
Meerkat Videos
Just a couple of little blurbs with meerkats as the main topic.
Meerkats Play Fighting
Meerkat Manor
yummy biscuit
