Classification

Meerkats are rap elated to the mongoose family, although they don't look like a mongoose in any way. However, they do look like a squirrel in lots of ways. Just imagine a meerkat next to a squirell, how confusing would that be? Meerkats live up to 7-10 years in the wild, they have a really short life because they would have been someone else's lunch. Most meerkats live up to 12-14 years in captivity!

Description

Meerkats body colours are red, grey or tan, the body is mainly tan with two dark red stripes on their back. The tail is about half the size of its own body. At the end of the tail is a black pitch covering an eighth of its tail. The height of a meerkat is around 25cm-30cm,but in length 10-14 inches, not including the tail. A meerkat has a black ring of fur around each eye so they can see better In the sun. Most meerkats have short, flat and stiff ears to hear things far away. A meerkats diet is based on insects, you would think a meerkat is a herbivore, but you guessed wrong a meerkat is a omnivore so it can eat meat, plant and also insects. Meerkats love eaten small rodents, fruit, birds, eggs, lizards and surprsingly poisonous scorpions! Don't worry they pullout the Steiger in a fast motion. Some meerkats don't mind eating worms, caterpillars, dirt, plants, leaves and some tall grass. Meerkats are mainly found in Southern Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Angola. Lots of meerkats like to hide around in arid plains and desert regions. The places where they are found has very high temperatures, reaching up to 45-50 degrees maximin or sometimes even higher! Because of this type of weather, there is lack of rain. If there lucky it would rain up to five times a year, if not lucky it would rain one to two times a year. Meerkats dig tunnels or holes to stay out of the heat. A group of meerkats are called a mob or gang. Usually in one gang there are up to thirty members in that family or breed of meerkats. Every member has a special job two jobs are looking out for predators. Meerkats have very long claws used for digging tunnels or holles. Every single meerkat helps other meerkats survive.

Conclusion

When a meerkat goes to eat a millipede, they first rub it up and down in the sand to get out all of the toxin from the outer shell so when they go to eat a millipede they won't be poisoned and die. Australians, New Zealands, Americans and all the other countries call meerkats, meerkats but Indians and Africans call meerkats Sun Angels because they can handle the firing heats of the world.