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Vision: Color. The dark eye markings act like built-in sunglasses.
Feet: Non-retractable claws. Four toes.
Ears: Closeable.
Height: 12 inches (30 centimeters).
Weight: 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms).
Light-absorbency: Called the "Solar Panel Of The Animal World," meerkats use their dark-skinned, sparsely furred bellies to warm up.
Taxonomy: Members of the mongoose family.
Tail: 8 inches (20 centimeters) long and used as a tripod to balance the animal in an upright position.
Activity: Diurnal (active during the day).
Life span: 12 to 14 years.
Society: A group of meerkats, usually five to thirty members, is called a "mob" or a "gang."
Home range: Southern Africa/Kalahari Desert
Dwelling: Grass-lined burrows that are shared with ground squirrels and yellow mongooses.
Toilet: Common latrine used by all members.
Transience: Mob moves several times annually if food supply is depleted.
Competitiveness: Meerkats are very territorial and will fiercely defend their home from other meerkat gangs.
Guardianship: Meerkats are "snack size" for a number of animals, so one always stands guard while the others forage or nap.
Primary predators: Martial eagles and jackals.
911: Various alarm calls indicate different predators.
Specialization: Alpha male and female do most of the breeding.
Litter size: 2 to 5.
Gestation: Eleven weeks.
Breeding season: October-April in the wild. Year-round in captivity.
Helplessness: Born with eyes and ears closed. Sparsely furred.
Helpfulness: Various adults will baby-sit the youngsters while the mother feeds.
Precociousness: Sexually mature at one year.
Diet: Scorpions (meerkats are immune to their venom), beetles, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, worms, crickets (FAST food), small mammals, small reptiles, birds, eggs, tubers and roots.
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