Meerkats are small carnivorous mammals that are part of the mongoose family. They are native to the savannas and grasslands of southern Africa.
They have a fascinating social structure, communication methods, and survival strategies which make them an interesting subject of study for ethologists.
Meerkats love to sunbathe. They often stand on their hind legs in the morning to soak up the sun’s warmth before they start their day.
Sunbathing is a crucial part of a meerkat’s day.
The image of a group of meerkats standing upright and basking in the sun is one of the iconic behaviors associated with these fascinating animals.
Meerkats are largely immune to the venom of scorpions and snakes, some of their primary food sources in their arid desert environments. This is a unique adaptation to their habitat.
Scorpions and small snakes form a significant part of a meerkat’s diet. However, these creatures can be venomous and pose a risk to most predators. The venom from a snake or scorpion sting can immobilize or kill potential predators. In the case of meerkats, though, they’ve evolved to withstand the venom.
Researchers believe that meerkats, over generations, have developed biological defenses against venom, reducing its effects. This might be due to the fact that meerkats have been exposed to venomous prey for a long time in their evolutionary history. The exact biological mechanisms of this immunity are not completely understood and are an interesting topic of study.
This adaptation is crucial for their survival, allowing meerkats to exploit a food source that might be too risky for other animals. It also reduces competition for these food sources, ensuring that meerkats have a steady supply of prey.
Their ability to handle venomous creatures is also a skill taught to young meerkats by adults, who would incapacitate a scorpion by removing its stinger, then allow the young ones to learn how to handle and kill it.
Meerkats have a dark patch around their eyes, which works much like built-in sunglasses.
The dark patches around a meerkat’s eyes are a specialized adaptation to their desert environment, and they function somewhat similarly to the black marks often seen under the eyes of athletes. These dark patches reduce the glare from the sun, which can be especially intense in the desert habitats where meerkats live.
By reducing glare, the dark patches allow meerkats to spot predators in the sky or across the desert more effectively. This is important because one meerkat often acts as a sentinel, standing on its hind legs and watching for danger while the rest of the mob is foraging.
Similarly, the reduced glare helps meerkats spot prey more easily when they are hunting in the bright sunlight.
The dark patches may also help meerkats in their social interactions by making their facial expressions more visible to each other.
It’s common for meerkat clans to assign a babysitter for the young ones while the rest of the group goes out to forage for food.
The practice of assigning a babysitter is a significant aspect of meerkat social structure and culture. While meerkats are foraging for food, one member of the group, and sometimes more, will stay behind to watch over the pups. This designated individual is commonly referred to as the babysitter.
The duties of a meerkat babysitter are quite important and encompass more than just basic safety. They’re responsible for teaching the young meerkats the skills they need to survive in the wild. This can include showing them how to forage for food, teaching them how to handle dangerous prey like scorpions or snakes, and helping them understand the alarm calls and social rules of the clan.
Interestingly, babysitting duties are often taken on by younger or lower-status meerkats, who gain experience and can improve their social standing through this important role. In some cases, males are observed to babysit more frequently, potentially as a way to curry favor with the dominant female.
Meerkats are exceptional diggers. They live in burrows, which can have as many as 15 entrances and extend 6.5 feet into the ground. They also use their digging skills to hunt for prey hiding under the sand.
This skill is fundamental to their lifestyle and survival.
Meerkats live in intricate burrow systems, also known as meerkat mansions, which they dig using their sharp, non-retractable claws. These burrows provide shelter and protection from predators and harsh weather conditions.
The numerous entrances to their burrows allow for multiple exit strategies when a predator attacks. Being able to dig quickly also means a meerkat can create an escape tunnel in a hurry if cornered.
Meerkats use their digging skills to forage for food, which often includes insects, spiders, and scorpions hiding underground. They can move a significant amount of sand in a short time, enabling them to uncover hidden food sources.
The depth of meerkat burrows can also help with temperature regulation, as it’s cooler underground during the heat of the day and warmer during the cold desert nights.
Interestingly, meerkat burrows can be a kind of community project. Over generations, meerkat clans can end up with vast burrow networks. They’ll frequently maintain and expand their burrows, and their hard work definitely pays off in their survival and success in the harsh desert environment.
They have a complex language system for alarms. Different alarm calls signal the type and urgency of approaching predators.
This sophisticated communication system is one of the ways meerkats maintain their tight-knit social groups and protect each other from predators.
Meerkat alarm calls vary depending on factors such as the type of predator, the distance of the threat, and the level of danger. For example, they have specific calls for aerial predators like hawks and eagles, which differ from the calls they use for ground-based threats like snakes and jackals. The urgency or intensity of the threat can also modify the call, affecting factors like the volume, pitch, and rate of the calls.
When a meerkat on sentry duty spots a threat, it will make an alarm call, and the rest of the group will react accordingly either by seeking cover in their burrows if the threat is immediate, or by standing alert and trying to locate the threat if it is further away.
Each meerkat clan has a unique scent, which helps meerkats identify their family members.
Each meerkat has scent glands located near the base of its tail. These glands secrete a unique scent that can vary between individuals and families. By rubbing these glands on rocks, plants, or other objects, meerkats can leave a scent mark, signaling their presence and ownership to other meerkats.
Scent marking is also part of various social rituals, like greeting ceremonies where meerkats rub against each other to exchange scents. This fascinating form of communication, along with their complex vocalizations, shows the richness of meerkat social interaction and their adaptability to their environment.
Unlike many animals, meerkats actively teach their young. Adults will often disable a scorpion and allow young meerkats to practice killing it, thus teaching them hunting techniques.
This gradual, active teaching process is a key part of how meerkats ensure the survival and success of the next generation. It highlights the extraordinary level of social complexity and cooperation in meerkat societies.
Meerkats tend to eat their food shortly after finding it, but they use their cheek pouches to carry food back to the burrow for the young, the sick, or others who may not have been present during the hunt.
During foraging trips, they fill these pouches with food, which they can later spit out once they’re back at the burrow. The pouches can hold an impressive amount, allowing meerkats to effectively collect and transport food for their clan.