FaunaHub

Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

MammalMongooseWild

A meerkat (Suricata suricatta) standing upright on alert.

Meerkat (Suricata suricatta).

Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Overview

The meerkat (Suricata suricatta) is a small, highly social member of the mongoose family, native to the dry regions of southern Africa. Famous for standing upright to watch for danger, meerkats live in cooperative groups (often called mobs or gangs) and are a classic example of social, group-living mammals. They are wild animals, not pets, despite their popularity in media.

Habitat & Range

Meerkats live in arid and semi-arid open country — savanna, scrub, and desert fringes — of southern Africa, including parts of the Kalahari. They dig and occupy extensive underground burrow systems that provide shelter from heat, cold, and predators. Their range is centred on southern Africa; details should be confirmed against current sources.

Diet

Meerkats are mainly insectivores, foraging for insects and other invertebrates, and also eating small vertebrates, eggs, and some plant material. They are skilled at digging prey from the ground and can handle some venomous prey such as scorpions. This page describes general feeding ecology, not care or feeding instructions.

Behavior

Meerkats are intensely social and cooperative: group members take turns acting as sentinels, standing upright to scan for predators and giving alarm calls, while others forage or care for young. They share burrows and help raise pups communally. This cooperative behaviour is widely studied. These are complex social behaviours of wild animals, not reasons to keep meerkats as pets.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Meerkats are wild animals with complex social and welfare needs, and they are not suited to life as pets despite their appeal in films and television; private keeping can cause welfare problems and may be restricted. The meerkat is generally not considered globally threatened, but as always conservation status should be checked against current sources. This page is educational, not care or veterinary advice.

Appearance & Recognition

Meerkats are slender, small mammals with tan fur, darker patches around the eyes that reduce glare, dark-banded backs, large eyes and ears, and a thin tapering tail used for balance when standing. Their upright "sentinel" posture, on the hind legs and tail, is their most recognisable trait. Strong claws on the forefeet suit their digging and foraging lifestyle.

Similar Animals

Meerkats are mongooses, in the family Herpestidae, related to other small carnivorans. They share a social, burrowing lifestyle with some other animals on FaunaHub, such as the meerkat-unrelated prairie-dog niche, but among site profiles they are most comparable in lifestyle to other cooperative, group-living mammals.

More photos of the meerkat

A meerkat in characteristic upright posture.

A meerkat standing sentinel.

Image: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently Asked Questions — Meerkat

Why do meerkats stand upright?
Meerkats stand on their hind legs and tail as sentinels, scanning for predators while other group members forage. If a sentinel spots danger, it gives an alarm call so the group can react. It is a cooperative survival behaviour.
Do meerkats make good pets?
No. Meerkats are wild, highly social animals with complex welfare needs that are difficult to meet in a home, and private keeping can be harmful and may be restricted. This page is educational, not care advice.
What do meerkats eat?
Meerkats are mainly insectivores, digging up insects and other invertebrates and also eating small vertebrates, eggs, and some plant matter. They can tackle some venomous prey such as scorpions. This page describes general ecology rather than care instructions.

Sources and further reading

Authoritative wildlife references used for general educational context. Conservation status should always be verified against current IUCN Red List data. External links open in a new tab.