Today is World Meerkat Day!
If you're like me, you may have first heard of meerkats from the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King. The character of Timon is a meerkat. But what is a meerkat, exactly? Well, contrary to what their name suggests, they are not cats. They are not remotely related to felines at all. Meerkats are actually a species of mongoose.
Meerkats are native to southern Africa. They make their homes in rocky crevices, but they're mainly known for living in plains, where they dig systems of tunnels that they can retreat to for protection from predators (like tawny eagles and black-backed jackals) and harsher weather.
Meerkats are very social animals. They're "people people"...or is that "animal animals" in this case? Anyway, meerkats form packs that can consist of as many as 30 members. Members take turns taking care of the kids and watching out for predators. Older meerkats often get higher "ranks" in the pack. Packs can be pretty violent to each other.
Meerkats mainly eat insects, but they have also been known to enjoy eggs, scorpions (scorpion venom is useless against the meerkat), small birds and mammals, and even plants and seeds. I can imagine a meerkat on Iron Chef would make some...interesting recipes. They aren't the type to chase after prey, often finding food by digging and turning up rocks.
Meerkats can breed all year, but they mostly do it during months of heavy rainfall. Meerkat gestation periods are around 60-70 days, and they can birth between three to seven pups a litter. How many litters of pups a female meerkat has often depends on if she is the dominant female in the pack or not. Dominant females can have up to four litters a year.
Meerkats aren't considered especially endangered, but the effects of climate change can have negative impacts on packs, increasing temperatures and less rainfall harming pack growth.
Yes, meerkats are fascinating animals. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! See you next time!
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