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Name || Slender Tailed Meerkat

Scientific Name || Suricata suricatta

Conservation Status || Least Concern

Habitat || The harsh, sandy environment of the Kalahari Desert in Africa.

Unique Features || Meerkats are small, slender animals that are well adapted to their habitat. They have pointed snouts, low-set ears and powerful digging claws. Social Behaviour || Meerkats usually live in a group of 10 to 30 animals from several families, with a female in charge of each smaller family unit. Most of the meerkats day is spent foraging for food in groups. While this is going on, at least one Meerkat takes the job of lookout for the whole group, watching out for predators such as jackals, servals, vultures, hawks and snakes. Working together they can combat other dangerous animals like snakes. They are very vocal creatures and use at least ten different sounds to communicate with others in the group. Diet || Insectivorous diggers, concentrating on beetle larvae, pupae and larvae of moths, butterflies, and flies, and termites, crickets, spiders, scorpions, and other invertebrates that are buried or hidden. Occasionally they eat lizards, small snakes, birds, eggs, and mice. Reproduction || Meerkats usually breed once a year and generally have a litter with two to six pups. The babies are born with their eyes and ears still closed, and stay underground with their mother for the first two to three weeks. As they develop other members of the group take over babysitting responsibilities and will even teach the youngsters to hunt. When they mature young females are usually driven from the group while young males remain part of it. Life Cycle || In captivity Meerkats can live until they are about 12 years old. Relatives || Meerkats are a member of the viverrid family which also includes the mongoose. Interesting Facts : Meerkats apparently have a resistance to scorpion and snake venom. The black coloration around their eyes helps protect against the constant glare of the sun. Each Meerkat has special duties that benefit the group. The baby sitter stays close to the burrow with youngsters under their care. The sentries will scan the horizon and sky for predators and the hunters will dig for food, some of which will be given to the young. A teacher will show a juvenile how to hunt. When meerkats face the threat of a rival group they begin digging up the ground to create clouds of dust to distract their aggressor. Breeding Programme || Our meerkats are not currently part of a breeding programme. Environmental Conditions || Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa and some surrounding areas. At Wellington Zoo || We currently have four female and three male slender tailed meerkats.  We are currently breeding.

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