Jerboas (photo): Frisky jumpers with long tails. Baibak (steppe marmot) An animal that stands on its hind legs

Meerkats (Suricato suricato) are predatory mammals of the mongoose or viverrid family. Body length with tail - approximately 50 cm (tail - 20 cm), weight up to 1 kg. The upper part of the body is grayish-brown with dark transverse stripes; lower - yellowish; the tip of the tail is dark. On a small, almost white head, eyes surrounded by dark spots and a pointed muzzle stand out. The eyesight of meerkats is very sharp, and, in addition, they distinguish colors well. The eyes are located on their head so that they can look at the sky for a long time and notice birds of prey from afar. On the front paws of meerkats grow four long and strong claws, with which these animals dig the ground. At the same time, their hind legs are noticeably longer than their front ones.
Meerkats live in the arid and semi-desert plains of South Africa. They avoid forests, groves, and densely vegetated areas, and prefer bushy plains and open sandy soils.
During the day, the meerkat goes in search of food. The roots and bulbs of plants, insects, spiders, centipedes and snails, small lizards, snakes, birds and their eggs and other small animals are used as food. For several months they do not drink water, being content with what is contained in wild watermelons, tubers and bulbs of plants. During the hunt, the animal jumps on its prey with unusual agility, biting its cervical vertebrae.
The meerkat is constantly digging the ground. Putting his nose into the hole he has begun, he quickly works with his paws, so that an earthen jet is obtained behind him. The animal often rises on its hind legs and stands in a "column", looking out for enemies. Meerkats are hunted by jackals and predator birds. Meerkats fiercely defend the territory, not retreating even before the jackal. Everyone hunts a cobra together: they rush, dodging its teeth, until someone bites through its head.
Since there is not enough food around the colony for a short time, the animals move several times a year to new places and live there as long as there is something to hunt. At this time, the flora and fauna are gradually restored in the old place, and after some time the animals return.
Meerkats, the closest relatives of mongooses, are very sociable animals. They live in colonies in burrows of 10-30 individuals. Each burrow consists of passages up to 1.5 m long leading to an underground nesting chamber covered with grass. Nora has numerous entrances and exits. When hunting, a group of meerkats does not move more than 200-400 m from the hole. Sometimes meerkats share their holes with ground squirrels.
Meerkats are real sun worshipers, they just love to sunbathe at sunset. Enjoying the sun, the animals rise on their hind legs and cling to their relatives.
Meerkats are known for the funny habit of standing motionless guarding their burrow, rising on their hind legs, sometimes leaning on the very tips of their fingers. The tail helps them to stay in this position, which serves to maintain balance when the meerkat is “on guard” during its shift. Guards continuously inspect the surroundings and, in case of alarm, give a signal to the rest.
Puberty occurs at 1 year. Mating takes place in October and April. The duration of pregnancy is from 73 to 77 days. The female in the hole is born from 2 to 4 cubs.
The meerkat is a very affectionate, kind and easily tamed animal. Lives in captivity for approximately 10 years.

Meerkat (Suricata suricala)

Sometimes you can see how cats stand on their hind legs, resembling meerkats or toy puppets. What causes normally majestic and independent animals to behave in such a way that is unusual for them? Is there a scientific explanation for this? And what do our pets want to achieve by taking this position? At least six reasons can serve as an explanation.

Scare for self-defense

One of the reasons for this behavior may be a skirmish with a predator or another representative of its kind. Feeling threatened, the cat stands on its hind legs to appear taller and larger than its size.

You could also notice how cats walk sideways before a fight, arching their back. This also makes them more intimidating to the enemy. Sometimes it helps to avoid a fight, thanks to one intimidation.

Participation in games

The reason for standing on its hind legs may lie in ordinary entertainment.

Moving into this position, the cat can attack you or any objects, doing it in a game mode, without showing aggression.

Treats or Life

Sometimes our cats are like children in monster costumes who go from house to house collecting delicious treats. At least that's the goal. Standing on its hind legs, the cat will demand something tasty from you. At the same time, he looks quite convincing and cute, therefore it is difficult to refuse feeding.

like meerkats

Once on their hind legs and stretching in length, the cats become like meerkats. Why do these animals from the mongoose family do this? They look very curious and funny when they look into the distance, stretching their whole body up. So they detect predators in order to warn their relatives about the danger. They also notice prey in the form of snakes and rodents. And yes, they are primarily driven by curiosity. Perhaps this feeling also guides cats when they, standing on their hind legs, carefully explore something new.

Munchkins

Munchkin cats have very short legs, which makes them so cute and defenseless.

These representatives of the cat family can often be seen standing on their hind limbs. The thing is that natural squatness pushes them to this. After all, the center of gravity of these cats is too low.

Trauma or birth defects

For some cats standing on their hind legs, this position is not some kind of quirk or a manifestation of some feelings. To this they are forced by injuries of the front paws or even their absence. Such animals simply cannot physically accept the usual position of cats, and are forced to always stand or sit on their hind legs.

It also happens that pets are already born with similar deformities. There are examples when, at the birth of cats, their front legs stopped developing, remaining short. Such animals are forced to jump on their hind legs, like a kangaroo.

Do not forget that cats are completely unpredictable, independent animals. They do exactly what they want to do this moment. The same may apply to standing on its hind legs for reasons known only to the pet itself.

These animals are a bit like monkeys, a little like raccoons, and a little bit like rodents. In fact, they are predators and the closest relatives of mongooses. Living in the harsh conditions of the Kalahari, meerkats feed on animals whose poison kills a person on the spot.

Systematics

Russian name - meerkat
English name - Meerkat
Latin name - Suricata suricatta
Squad - predatory (Carnivora)
Family - Viverridae (Viverridae)
Genus - meerkat (suricata)

The status of the species in nature

In some parts of the range, the species is common, although the number is declining due to habitat disturbance. Further human intervention in nature can cause a deterioration of the situation.

View and person

Meerkats are amazingly charming little creatures that always make you smile. Africans have two beliefs associated with meerkats. In accordance with one of them, the animals are called solar angels. And not only because they love to soak up the African morning sun. It is believed that they protect settlements and livestock from werewolf moon devils that attack people and animals (bats probably act as moon devils). In addition, settling near the huts, the meerkats clear the area of ​​scorpions and even poisonous snakes, which they eat. Meerkats are easily tamed, and locals sometimes keep them at home to protect their homes from poisonous animals.

According to another legend, the souls of the dead move into the meerkat, which is why these animals are so friendly to people. An animal looking around can stand on its hind legs for a long time, and from afar a group of animals warily listening to the sounds of the desert can be mistaken for crowded little men. For this they are sometimes called "little people." And thanks to the vigilance shown by the meerkat family, they received another affectionate nickname: "sentinels of the desert."

Distribution and habitats

Meerkats live in arid and desert regions of South Africa, west of Lake Chad, north of the river. Orange, including the Kalahari Desert. These animals avoid forests and dense thickets. They prefer sandy soil, in which they dig deep and branched burrows - entire underground cities, sometimes going deep into 2 meters. Sometimes meerkats use the abandoned burrows of the African ground squirrel. If the animals settle in a mountainous area, then rocky caves serve as shelters for them.

Appearance and morphology

Small graceful animals, the smallest in the mongoose subfamily: their length is only 50–60 cm, with almost half falling on the tail, and the weight of only especially large individuals reaches 1 kg. Females are somewhat larger than males. Meerkats differ from other mongooses by high legs, four-toed paws, a strong tail, evenly covered with sparse hair along the entire length, and the absence of the first false-rooted tooth. The legs of this animal are very characteristic: they are armed with long and strong claws, which, especially on the front paws, reach such a development as in no other member of the family. With the help of these powerful claws, the meerkat easily digs deep passages, getting food and equipping a home.

The fur of the meerkat is rather coarse, grayish-brown in color with a yellowish tint; Against this background, eight to ten intermittent dark stripes that do not have clear outlines stand out in the back of the back. On the legs, the hair is lighter; on the belly and chest it is sparse, silvery in color; lips, chin and cheeks whitish; the tip of the muzzle, the ring around the eyes, the ears and the tip of the tail are black. Eyes with a large round pupil and a brown silver-gray iris.

Meerkats have a very keen sense of smell, which is necessary for finding insects that dig deep into the sand, especially during the dry season. Long vibrissae on the muzzle help them navigate the dark tunnels of burrows.

The animals have sharp eyesight, allowing them to notice a predator from afar. The dark circles around the eyes absorb excess UV light, allowing meerkats to look almost at the sun. They have a highly developed third eyelid, which reliably protects the eyes from sand.

They hunt scorpions, eat them together with a poisonous gland

They hunt scorpions, eat them together with a poisonous gland

They hunt scorpions, eat them together with a poisonous gland

Feeding and feeding behavior

Meerkats are predators and their main food is insects and other invertebrates. They enjoy eating both lizards and bird eggs, and small rodents, and their cubs. The unique ability of meerkats to eat animals is widely known, whose poison can even kill a person. They successfully hunt scorpions by eating them along with the venom gland. Some poisonous snakes also cannot protect themselves from meerkats, although large cobras are a mortal danger for animals. Meerkats drink extremely rarely, being content with the moisture contained in the feed.

Meerkats have a very intensive metabolism: during the night they burn a large number of calories and lose about 5% of body weight, so the animals eat a lot. The researchers found that during an hour of feeding, an adult meerkat eats an average of 30 food objects.

In the summer, during the rainy season, meerkats have no shortage of food: the ground is literally teeming with insects that crawl on the surface, and if they burrow, then to a shallow depth. Therefore, the animals do not need to move far from the hole, and they hunt near the house. Each meerkat earns its own food, adults do not share prey with each other, but children are a different matter. Babies begin to accompany adults to hunt at the age of one month, and all family members feed them. At first, adult meerkats give the cubs a taste of soft larvae, gradually teaching them to hunt large invertebrates, including scorpions, and then vertebrates.

During feeding, one of the members of the group always “stands on the clock” in order to notice the approach of a predator in time. In order to have best review, meerkats climb stones, stumps and even shrubs, and they can balance on thin twigs, standing on their hind legs. When danger approaches (a predator or another group of meerkats), the observer notifies the entire group of it with a special signal.

With the onset of the dry season, it becomes increasingly difficult for meerkats to get food that hides deep underground. They have to move away from the hole for considerable distances - 2–3 or more kilometers, often making raids on the territory of their neighbors. Relations between the animals at feeding become more rigid - they can take food from each other and even from cubs. This behavior is especially characteristic for a dominant female if she is pregnant. It is at this time of the year that solitary animals die, which are forced to simultaneously search for food, monitor predators and evade meetings with aggressive brethren.

Activity

Meerkats are diurnal animals: they spend their nights in burrows, closely clinging to each other and warming themselves with collective warmth. After sunrise, the animals appear on the surface and are taken to cleaning the dwelling. Excess soil is thrown out, the entrances to the hole are cleaned and expanded. In addition to cleaning, the obligatory morning procedure is sunbathing. Meerkats stand on their hind legs, turn their heads towards the sun and stand, basking in its rays. Their belly skin is dark and their fur is sparse, so they warm up quickly. After the end of the morning procedures, the whole family goes to feed. If the place where the meerkats feed is far from the burrow, they return to it only in the evening, resting during the day in the shade of trees or in a temporary shelter near the feeding place. When there is enough food near the house, the daytime siesta takes place in the native hole.

Vocalization

Meerkats are unusually talkative creatures. During feeding, especially in tall grass, they constantly maintain acoustic contact with each other, making soft sounds. In case of danger, the sentinel meerkat yelps loudly abruptly, the lagging behind cub screeches. Often the animals communicate with their relatives in whole "phrases" consisting of 2-4 signals.

social behavior

Until recently, meerkats have been studied extremely poorly, however, long-term observations of individually tagged animals in southern Africa using modern methods research has made it possible to get to know these animals much better.

The main structural unit of the meerkat population is the family, in which strict matriarchy reigns. The main female controls the entire life of the family: she chooses the hole in which the family will live, the feeding place, and, most importantly, only she has the right to give birth to cubs.

The dominant male is determined in inter-male interactions, as a rule, it is he who forms a pair with the main female and becomes the father of all babies born to her. A couple can dominate for several years, and the family will grow at the expense of its offspring. The number of animals in a family is usually up to 30 individuals, small groups of meerkats are very vulnerable to predators, and large families (more than 40 animals) find it difficult to maintain unity.

Each group of meerkats adheres to a specific protected area. The size of the territories of different families living, for example, in the Kalahari, from 1 to 3 square meters. km, each has at least 5 holes suitable for family life. A burrow, especially dug in soft ground, can occupy an area of ​​25 × 32 m, it is a complex network of branched corridors with chambers and has up to a hundred exits. On average, however, burrows occupy an area of ​​5×5 m and have 15 exits. Burrows go 1.5 - 2 meters deep, and therefore the temperature in it is quite constant and remains within 22–25. A family can live in the same hole for several months, but the breeding fleas and ticks force the animals to change their homes regularly. The change of the hole often occurs before the appearance of offspring in the main female, only in exceptional cases the group moves when there are babies in the hole. When “moving to a new apartment”, small cubs are carried in their teeth by adult family members. The surroundings of the burrows are carefully marked with the secret of special glands.

Territorial conflicts in the summer, when food is plentiful, are rare. Families can feed at a distance of several tens of meters, not noticing or ignoring each other. When meeting in the border zone, groups are limited to ritual border interactions.

With the onset of winter, food becomes scarcer, and meerkat families can invade other people's territories. When the sentries notice strangers, they make a loud jerky sound, and all the animals of the group, having raised their tails and ruffled their hair, “shoulder to shoulder” defend the territory. After a few minutes of confrontation, one of the families rushes to the attack. Each of the groups feels more confident in its territory, and often uninvited guests immediately take flight. Bloody battles rarely occur between stable groups of equal numbers, but if the family has grown significantly over the summer, it seeks to expand its territory. In such cases, fights can be very fierce and even end in the death of some of the animals. Meerkats are especially selfless in protecting their burrows with cubs in them, since the cubs left behind will be killed by strangers.

If during the wet season several new groups of meerkats formed, then in winter a redistribution of territories is inevitable, which will be accompanied by fierce fights.

Reproduction and education of offspring

Meerkats reach puberty at the age of one year, but in nature they begin to breed later. The main female has the absolute advantage in reproduction. If cubs appear in any of her grown-up daughters, she can kill them, either expel the “guilty” female from the group, or transfer the entire group to another hole, leaving the newly-made mother with the babies.

The female is able to bear offspring up to 4 times a year, however, in the vast majority of cases, reproduction is confined to the summer, wet season and occurs from October to March. As a result of pregnancy, which lasts 70–77 days, from 2 to 5 cubs weighing 25–30 g appear in the hole. Having fed the babies, the mother goes hunting with her group, and the “nanny” remains with the children, who does not leave them until the other members of the group return. Children are fed with milk not only by the mother, but also by other females of the group, and for meerkats such a phenomenon as allolactation is described: milk appears in nulliparous females.
The eyes of the cubs open on the 10-14th day, but they leave the hole only 3 weeks after birth. One of the members of the group stays with them during the day for another week, and at the age of one month, the kids go hunting with the adults. The older members of the group let them taste the larvae first, later they bring more serious prey. It is typical for meerkats to train the young: children not only watch the hunt, the elders show them how it is done. At the same time, adults determine the degree of readiness of the baby to cope with a particular victim by their sounds. Dairy nutrition stops at 7-9 weeks of age.

2-3 days after the birth of the babies, the female is again ready for mating. At this time, the dominant male of the group does not leave it and carefully guards it from other males. In the summer, when there is a lot of food around, grown males from neighboring groups can spin around the feeding family, they attract young females, but the dominant female can also come to them “on a date”. After mating, these males return to their families, but sometimes they take away young females and then a new family of meerkats is formed.

Lifespan

The main enemies of meerkats in nature are birds of prey, but any terrestrial predator can feast on a gaping meerkat, therefore, in nature, meerkats rarely live up to 7–8 years. Young animals die especially often: out of 3 cubs born, only one survives to the age of one. In captivity, the animals live on average much longer: the maximum recorded life span of meerkats is 12 years and 6 months.

Meerkats at the Moscow Zoo

Meerkats appeared with us in July 2009, having arrived from South Africa. An aviary was specially prepared for their arrival in the African Ungulates pavilion, imitating the natural environment: sand, burrows, driftwood. A landscape of the African savanna was painted on the back wall so that the animals feel almost at home. And they “appreciated” the efforts of the artists: they began to jump onto the wall, as if trying to escape to their native spaces.

Nine adolescent animals came from different families. Meerkats have harsh laws that do not allow strangers to be tolerated on their territory, and within the very first days these laws came into force. One animal was killed, and the other two were expelled from the group. They had to be urgently removed, and only then the rest calmed down and began to live at home. The main female and the main male were determined, and soon we noticed that replenishment was expected in the group.

Four babies were born big and strong, but their mother was still too young (one-year-old females do not breed in nature), and her body could not stand it. The cubs had to be taken for artificial feeding. Feeding crumbs weighing 30 grams is not an easy task, but the zoo staff great experience, they were caring mothers even for newborn jumpers weighing 5 g. Meerkats got into skillful hands and successfully passed the period of milk feeding. At the end of November, a female, previously expelled from the group, was placed next to the cubs. There was a considerable risk that the female would perceive them as strangers, and then the children could pay for this experiment with their lives. However, we decided to take a chance, since young animals need to communicate with adults of their own species to form the correct behavior. Our fears turned out to be in vain: the adult animal yearned for loneliness so much that he perceived the opportunity to start a family as happiness. But the kids, at their five-week-old age, at first began to defend the territory: with their tails up shoulder to shoulder, they opposed the “enemy”. However, the adult female chose the tactic of ignoring and, only an hour later, when the cubs calmed down, lay down next to them and began to lick them. So we have a second family of meerkats.

And in the aviary at the exposition, the family continues to live its own life: the animals play, brush each other's fur, bask in the "sun", dig sand. Their daytime sleep is short, and when you approach the enclosure, you will definitely see these funny animals. They are curious enough that they can interrupt their rest to see who has come. But they do not like loud sounds: meerkats are frightened, despite the thick glass separating them from people. But if you stand quietly at the enclosure, you will hear how they “talk”. In captivity, animals do not change their habits, they need to constantly hear each other.

In the cold season, the meerkat family lives in a warm pavilion; with the onset of spring, they are opened a passage to the outdoor enclosure. The animals begin to go out into the sun, explore the surroundings, but they still spend cold nights in a warm hole in the pavilion. And only when the earth warms up, the meerkats go to live on the street for the whole summer. A similar thing happens in autumn: with the onset of frost, the animals gradually move to a warm pavilion.

Meerkats are fed 3 times a day. Their menu includes cottage cheese, quails and their eggs, chicken meat, but the animals are especially animated at the sight of flour worms, zofobas larvae and insects. Meerkats catch and eat them with lightning speed, sometimes arguing and quarreling with each other. From vegetables, cabbage is preferred, and from fruits, bananas. Having sated, they huddle together and, forgetting all quarrels, clean each other.

Meerkats are a species of mammals from the mongoose family (Herpestidae). Distributed in South Africa, mainly in the Kalahari Desert region: in the territories of southwestern Angola, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, they were previously noticed in Madagascar. Body length with head 25-35 cm, tail 17.5-25 cm. Coat color orange-brown. All meerkats have a characteristic pattern of black stripes, which is made up of individual hairs, the tips of which are painted black. The head is white, the ears are black, the tail is yellow, the tip of the tail is black. The fur is long and soft, the undercoat is dark red. The coat on the belly and chest is short. The physique of the meerkat is slender, but it is hidden by thick fur. There are inguinal glands that secrete an odorous secret, which hides a fold of skin, the same fold stores secretory secretions. On the front paws are long and strong claws. Habitat Meerkats live in an arid area almost devoid of trees. They are active burrowing animals. Meerkat colonies burrow or use the abandoned burrows of the African ground squirrel. Burrows are deep, usually from 1.5 meters and deeper. If they live in a mountainous region, then rocky caves serve as shelters for them. They lead a daily life. On a warm day, they like to bask in the sun, taking the most bizarre poses. They can stand on their hind legs for a long time. Dwellings are often changed, and new housing often turns out to be 1-2 km from the old one. Lifestyle Meerkats are highly organized animals that unite in colonies, including two or three family groups, in total 20-30 individuals (recorded record - 63 individuals). Clans of meerkats feud among themselves for territory. Battles often take place on their borders. Some of them end badly for at least one meerkat. If one family takes over another's burrow, the cubs in it will be killed. Each family consists of a pair of adults and their offspring. Matriarchy reigns in the meerkat group. The female may be larger than the male in size and dominates him. Meerkats often talk to each other, their sound range has at least twenty to twenty-five sound combinations. Updated on 24/08/11 20:07: video http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=kumKcdqJAQs Updated on 24/08/11 20:14: Meerkats are very small in size. Their length averages 25-35 centimeters, weight - up to 900 grams. Very important for meerkats is their tail, the length of which reaches 25 centimeters. It helps the animals maneuver and also serves as a handy support when the meerkats get into their favorite “column” position. Meerkats love to bask in the sun, and often sit on their hind legs, straightened up and leaning on their tail, at the entrance to the hole. For such a love of sunbathing, meerkats are nicknamed "the solar panels of the animal kingdom." Meerkats live up to 12-14 years. Inside the same colony, meerkats live quite amicably. However, they are very hostile towards representatives of other colonies, and often serious fights occur between different family clans for territories or free holes. The main threat to meerkats are eagles, eagle owls and jackals. Therefore, during the hunt, while the rest are busy looking for food, one meerkat always stands guard. Small animals have special sound signals warning of impending danger. In 2005-2008 a documentary television series about meerkats called Meerkat Manor was filmed, which allowed a glimpse into the life of these amazing animals living in the sultry and sun-scorched Kalahari. Updated on 24/08/11 20:44:

There are several animals on Earth that work together like meerkats. These members of the mongoose family live in groups of varying sizes, ranging from three to 50 members. Several families of meerkats may live together and form a community called a colony or clan. Each individual participates in the collection of food, monitors predators and cares for the cubs.

Meerkats are small animals that measure 9.75 to 11.75 inches (25 to 30 centimeters) in length from head to rear. Their tails add another 7.5 to 9.5 inches (19 to 24 cm) to their length. Weighing less than 1 kilogram, a meerkat weighs about the same as a squirrel. Meerkats are carnivores and are recognized by their long bodies, short flat ears, and their ability to stand on their hind legs. Meerkat fur can be gold, silver, orange, or brown, with dark patches of fur around the eyes.

A photo. Map of meerkats in Africa

Meerkats (merkats) live in the deserts and grasslands of the southern tip of Africa. These are very cute animals with fluffy fur, a small pointed face and large eyes surrounded by dark spots. On average, they grow up to 50 centimeters in length, including the tail. These extraordinarily social animals live in burrows that they dig with their long and sharp claws. The dungeon protects the family from predators and from the harsh African heat. These burrows can be up to 5 meters long and can have multiple entrances, tunnels and rooms. A group can use up to five individual burrows at one time.

Meerkats come to the surface only during the daytime. Each morning, meerkats begin their day by courting or lying in the sun. When the sun rises, a group appears and starts looking for food. They use their keen sense of smell to find their favorite foods, including bugs, caterpillars, spiders, and scorpions. Adult meerkats have some immunity to venom, so scorpion stings are not a problem for them. However, rather than let the young learn by trial and error and risk being pierced by a potentially life-threatening stinger, mothers rip off a scorpion's tail and then feed it, according to a 2006 study published in the journal Science.

They also like to eat small reptiles, eggs, birds, plants and fruits. Several nannies stay behind to watch the newborn cubs. This duty applies to the various members of the group. A babysitter's main job is to protect baby meerkats from rival groups who, if given the opportunity, will kill the baby meerkats.

A photo. group of meerkats

While the rest of the group is foraging for food, one of the meerkats (sometimes more) called sentinel will find the highest point like a termite mound and will scan the area on its hind legs. From here, it scans the sky and the desert for predators such as hawks, eagles, and jackals. The sentry, sensing danger, emits a loud screech, thereby letting the group know that it is urgent to take cover.

Meerkats dig safe places throughout their feeding territory where they can hide in times of danger. But if caught by a predator, the meerkat will try to look ferocious, lie on its back and show its teeth and claws. If a predator encounters a group of meerkats, they will stand as if in one formation, arch their backs, raise their hair and hiss. This is sometimes misleading to the attacker, who may think that this is one big vicious animal.

There are always a lot of meerkats where they live and it is generally accepted that they are not endangered. But they live a very difficult life in the African desert, constantly threatened by hungry predators, rival meerkats, drought and flooding of their burrows.

baby meerkats
Females give birth to one to eight babies at a time, but more often 3-4 cubs. The young are born underground, where they are protected from predators. At birth, puppies weigh 25 to 36 grams (0.9 to 1.3 ounces), according to the San Diego Zoo. In addition, these little cubs are blind, deaf and almost hairless.

The whole family, including the father and siblings, contributes to the upbringing of the cubs. By nine weeks, the cubs are weaned, and by a year and a half, meerkats will be old enough to have their own offspring.

Interesting veils about meerkats
Meerkats live in groups called "mobs" which consist of 2-3 families of meerkats. One mob lives in one hole.

These are very sociable animals and they like to play with each other. In addition to having fun, each member of the mob has his own duty, which benefits the entire group.

As they hunt, some members look after the predators while others work on the hunting strategy.

In case of danger, meerkats warn other members of the mob using certain sounds.

Meerkats are territorial animals. The average size of their territory is 4 square miles. Throughout the territory they dig holes and use them as shelters in case of danger.

Meerkats hunt and eat insects, scorpions, small lizards, snakes, and eggs. They also feed on roots and bulbs.

They are immune to the venom of scorpions and snakes.

Because they live in dry areas, they get all the water they need from the food they eat.

Meerkats have excellent eyesight, smell and hearing.

A photo. Meerkats near the hole

They stand on their hind legs when looking around. Females can even feed their young in a standing position.

Adult meerkats teach young ones what they should eat. Young meerkats are afraid of predators, especially birds, and will hide in holes even if they see a flying plane.

If the group decides to move to another burrow, group members will carry the puppies by the scruff of the neck.

While digging, the membrane covers and protects the eyes of meerkats.

One study found the meerkat to be the deadliest mammal known to science.

A female meerkat can produce twice as much testosterone as males.

Meerkats have special pouches below their tails that they empty on rocks to mark their territory.

Dominant females will enslave the subordinate females in their group as nurses. Those who resist are expelled from the group after killing the cubs.

Dominant female meerkats prevent daughters from reproducing and even kill their grandchildren to keep them alpha members of their clan.

A photo. Cute meerkat on a log

When two groups of meerkats go to war for territory, they line up and anger each other like human warriors. Wars among meerkats can lead to many deaths, so the animals try to avoid such conflicts by using scare tactics.

In Zimbabwe and Zambia, the meerkat is considered the "sun angel". It is said that "solar angels" are sent by the gods to protect the villages.

Meerkats live up to 10 years in the wild and up to 13 years in captivity.

Meerkats as pets
Unlike domestic dogs and cats, meerkats are wild animals with survival instincts that have not been eroded by thousands of years of selective breeding. They are "solitary" animals, feeling safe only when they are in close contact with other members of the group. The pinnacle of cruelty is to close the animal in a solitary cage, especially after dark. This drives them literally into a frenzy, and this ends either in an extremely aggressive hysteria, or the animal begins to obsessively groom itself, sometimes even to the point of self-mutilation. All this is a result of the horror they can experience due to isolation, and this trauma remains for life.

For a gardener, a meerkat can be his pride. More than 90% of the meerkat's diet is made up of underground animals: larvae, beetles, scorpions and the like. Baby meerkats begin to dig seriously at around 8 weeks of age, gradually increasing in strength and skill until around 5 months old they start digging deep holes for 6 hours a day. And within a few days, any garden will look like a miniature minefield. This digging has little to do with hunger, even a well-fed meerkat must dig to satisfy its instincts. A look at their front paws with their long, hard claws will tell you that meerkats have gradually evolved as diggers and trying to stop this behavior is impossible. Indoors with cement slabs, they will crumble cement, tear apart carpets, baseboards, and even stucco walls, not to mention upholstered furniture and potted plants. The pet meerkat is a house demolition team!

Since meerkats primarily eat insects, no commercial dog or cat food can meet their dietary requirements, especially in their first months of life. Insect exoskeletons contain large amounts of calcium, which is essential for the growth of bones and teeth, and therefore their diet must be supplemented with insects or powdered calcium, otherwise young animals will be disfigured by rickets. For a meerkat, dog food is too low in protein and too high in carbohydrates, and animals fed this will soon become overgrown with fat. Cat food is somewhat better, but meerkats are adapted to being fed small meals almost continuously, rather than eating one or two large meals a day, as dogs and cats do. As a result, due to their fast metabolism, they behave as if they are hungry all the time, and if they are fed every time they ask and are limited in physical movements (a wild meerkat walks about 5 km a day), they will soon become obese. and painful.

While they are still young, meerkats will be friendly creatures, but once they reach the age of 6 months, they can completely transform into a pit bull in the mongoose world. "Pet" will now protect its group and will perceive any visitors as violators. Any stranger will be attacked and bitten hard, the meerkat clings, bites to the bone and won't let go. Children are the main target, as they seem weak in the eyes of the meerkat, and this can lead to serious social problems with neighbors and visitors. Their aggressiveness is just an instinctive response to a stranger and no amount of punishment can stop him, it's genetically programmed. With the appearance of this aggressiveness comes the development of the anal glands with their rather penetrating musky secretions. Soon, almost all smooth surfaces in the house will be marked, this smell to the meerkat says that this is "home" and that he can feel safe, but it is extremely unpleasant for human cohabitants.

One veterinarian shared a story about a meerkat they were trying to introduce into a family. He was too obese to walk, had been castrated and had his claws removed. A wild beast has been maimed to the point of curbing its instinctive behavior and making it "fit" for the human way of life - this is nothing short of pure cruelty. Remember that adopting a meerkat as a "pet" entails being with him 24 hours a day and all night for the rest of his life to prevent him from destroying your home and garden. You will have to pick up a special diet and constantly fight against a violent attack on all your visitors, as well as a pungent smell left on all the furniture. For your own good, and especially for the animals, it's best to think again before you decide to have a meerkat as a pet.