Meerkat

This picture was taken in a small family zoo and it shows a meerkat, or so -called suricate, sitting on a sandy rock and looking at the visitors.

Meerkats come from grasslands and deserts in the south of Africa. They belong to the mammals of the mongoose family and they are the only kind of this family without bushy tail.

They live in groups of different sizes, usually between 20 and 50 members. Everyone in the group, or so-called mob, participates in collecting food and takes care of each other. It is also very usual that one suricate stands on the top and guards the others.

Suricates live up to 10 years in the wild and up to 14 years in captivity and they are about 50 centimetres long including their tail. Meerkats are very good at digging because they have long and curved claws. They dig their dwellings underground which helps them from predators.

These animals are also well know for their cuteness and exceptional cooperation.