Surikate or Meerkat -
Suricata suricata
These endearing little animals
often associate with ground squirrels and yellow mongoose with whom
they share burrows.
Suricates live in dens in large groups.
Unlike the dwarf mongoose, several pairs will breed and the entire
group assists with raising the young.
They are very much creatures of comfortable
habit. Each morning they leave their den after sunrise, visit a
communal latrine then sunbathe for an hour or two before they finally
set off to forage. After a leisurely midday rest they forage again
until late afternoon before meeting outside the den where they relax
or play until dusk. If it is a cold or rainy morning, they will
rise much later than usual.
When they feed they are most vulnerable,
as they spread out to forage in the open but they do always keep
visual and vocal contact to be able to warn each other of danger.
They are very poor runners and
cannot even outrun man. Their major form of defence is their alterness
and their group co-operation. Suricate sentinels, of which there
is always one on duty, stand upright on their rear legs to keep
a sharp lookout for danger. When
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