Meerkat

Meerkats are related to moogoose and live in the Kalahari desert in Botswana and South Africa. They live in groups of about twenty called a mob, gang or clan. They hunt during the day and eat a wide variety of insects. They will also feed on lizards, snakes, scorpions, spiders, plants, eggs and small mammals.

Meerkats have 2cm-long claws which they use for digging burrows where they live.

Meerkats are eaten by birds of prey and other carnivores. They live in a group for safety. There will always be one animal within the group who acts as a scout, scanning for predators while the other members forage. If a predator is spotted the scout gives a loud alarm call to warn the rest of the group.

Meerkats have 2cm-long claws which they use for digging burrows where they live.