SURICATE

Suricata Suricatta

The Suricate or Meerkat is a small, carnivorous mongoose native to South Africa. They live in large groups called a mob, gang, or clan of up to around 40 members. The clan lives in a neighborhood of tunnels that they have dug underneath the ground. They live this way to help protect each other as there is safety in numbers. They take shifts on a high slope near the village to keep an eye out for predators. If one is spotted the village guard will shriek to alert the others, and they will scurry to their burrows. They eat a diet of mostly insects but will also eat lizards, eggs, and more rarely, small birds. They have a lifespan if about 6-7 years, but can twice as long in captivity. However, Suricates do not make the most ideal pets. People who keep Suricates often face the problem of aggressiveness towards people they do not recognize, and will bite. They also will leave their scent to mark their territory.