Meerkat

Southern Africa is home to the Meerkat (Suricata suricatta), also known as the suricate. Its big head, large eyes, pointed nose, long legs, slender tail, and brindled coat pattern are distinguishing features. The weight normally ranges from 0.62 to 0.97 kg, while the head and body length are between 9.4 and 24 cm (1.4 and 2.1 lb). With alternate, ill-defined light and dark streaks on the back, the coat ranges in color from light grey to yellowish brown. To survive in their harsh, dry home, meerkats have foreclaws that are specialized for digging and the capacity to control their body temperature. There are three recognized subspecies.

Meerkats are active during the day, primarily in the early and late afternoon. They are constantly on the lookout for danger and retreat to their burrows when it arises. They communicate with one another using a wide range of cries for a variety of reasons, such as to sound the alarm when they spot a predator. Meerkats are primarily insectivorous, and a large portion of their food consists of beetles, lepidopterans, arthropods, amphibians, small birds, reptiles, and plant matter. Meerkats love nothing more than basking together in the sun. They are well adapted to the heat and have dark skin on their stomachs, which they use to regulate their body temperature by resting on their stomachs to cool off or their backs to warm up.