Meercat

It's hard not to love these madcap mammalians. They take on snakes and scorpians (it does help that they are immune to the poison!), they organise group lookouts to warn of danger and they simply look gorgeous! Although the little chap pictured is perhaps not behaving in the most noble fashion...

Length: 10 to 14 inches, tail length is 7 to 10 inches

Average Adult Weight: 1 1/2 pounds

Life Span: 12 to 14 years

Description: Meerkats have long slender bodes and short limbs. They have a tan to grey coat with brown bands on the back and sides. Their head and throat are greyish white with eyes ringed with black. Meerkats have black rounded ears and a black tip to the tail.

Habitat: The kalahari desert area of Botswana and South Africa, prefers savannah.

Countries found in: Bostswana, South Africa, Angola, and Namibia.

Babies: 2 to 5 pups with a gestations period of 11 weeks.

Food: Mainly insects, but also lizards, snakes, scorpions, spiders, plants, eggs, small mammals, millipedes, centipedes, roots and bulbs. Meerkats spend a lot of time foraging for food.

Group Name: Mob, Gang, or Clan. Most clans have around 20 members, but some can have as many as 50 members.

Habits: Meerkats spend a lot of time on guard watching for predators. When the guard meerkat senses danger it makes barking noises, otherwise it will make peeping noises when everything is ok.

Endangered: No