SCIENTIFIC NAME : Suricata suricatta WEIGHT : 720 - 800 g LENGTH : 25 – 35 cm POPULATION : 3,500 PLACES : Deserts and grasslands of Africa. HABITATS : Desert | The meerkat (Suricata suricatta) or suricate is a small carnivoran in the mongoose family. It is the only member of the genus Suricata. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a mob, gang or clan. A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some super families have 50 or more members. In captivity, meerkats have an average life span of 12 to 14 years, and about 6 to 7 years in the wild. |
