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Fact File: Meerkats

Find out some fun facts about meerkats with Steve and Aneeshwar. Learn about how meerkats like to spend their time, where they sleep and what they eat!

What are meerkats?

Meerkats are small mammals who are of the mongoose family. 

Image of a meerkat sat on a tree

What do meerkats spend their time doing?

Meerkats spend a lot of their day digging for food with their super sharp claws. This digging is called foraging.

A meerkat digging a burrow in a sand lot.

What do meerkats eat?

Meerkats are omnivores which means they eat plants and animals. Meerkats mainly eat insects such as beetles, caterpillars, spiders, and scorpions. They use their sense of smell to sniff out their favourote food. 

A meerkat digging in a sand lot with two maggots in the sand.

Do meerkats dig for anything else?

Meerkats don't just use their excellent digging skills to find food, but also dig underground burrows to sleep in. Their burrows can be 5 metres long with different entrances and tunnels leading to separate rooms. 

A group of meerkats digging a burrow in sand.

Do meerkats live in groups?

Meerkats are very social animals and live in large groups of up to 50 meerkats. They even take it in turns to babysit the pups and keep look out for danger. 

A mob of meerkats sitting together on a rock.

What is the name for a group of meerkats?

A group of meerkats is called a mob. Each morning the mob emerges from the burrow and begins looking for food. Meerkats have rival mobs and have to keep their own mob safe from other meerkats as well as predators. 

What do mobs of meerkats do?

Meerkats work great as a team and have different responsibilities. At least one meerkat will find a high point, perch on its back legs and be on lookout for any predators - this is known as a sentry, some will be forging for food and others will be on babysitting duty, looking after the new pups. 

Two meerkats stood on a sandy lot. One is stood upright on lookout and the other is digging a burrow.

What would a sentry meerkat do if there was any danger?

If the lookout meerkat spots any danger, they shout about it and all the meerkats scurry for safety, heading for the nearest burrow.

Where do meerkats sleep?

Meerkats literally make their bed! They dig out several sleeping rooms in their burrow and snuggle on top of each other in a cute pile - this way, they can share body heat.

A mob of meerkats sleeping on top of one another.

Why don't you share any fun facts you've learnt today with your friends and family? 

Meerkat, meerkat!

Leap to your feet and stand up tall in this meerkat rap with Andy.

 

 

Animal quizzes and fact files

Discover more about lots of different animals with these animal quizzes and fact files. 

Find animal games, jigsaw puzzles, songs and more in the Animal Topic page. 

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