
Slender-tailed meerkat
Latin name: Suricata suricatta
All for One!
- Being a gregarious animal, a clan includes on average a dozen members, but can reach 30 individuals. The sentry is the one tasked with keeping watch on their surroundings while the others are feeding.
- The meerkat has a strong resistance to the scorpion's venom and to venomous snakes like the cobra. When facing such an attacker, the clan forms a common front to confuse it and attempt to bite its neck.
- Communication is very important among meerkats. When an individual sees danger, it whistles and barks to sound the alert. The cries are different for land and aerial predators.
- A group's territory covers about 15 square kilometers and may contain up to five underground tunnels.
- It is one of the rare species whose habitat is not threatened; some populations are however dealing with tuberculosis. It would seem that individuals have contracted the disease by eating contaminated domestic garbage.
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Distribution
Southern Africa
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Habitat
Desert regions
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Diet
Insectivore
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Status
Least concern
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Zoo Zone
Africa