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MeerKAT - Wikipedia
MeerKAT - Wikipedia
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1History
2Description
3Specifications
4Construction schedule
5Inauguration
6Science objectives
7Site
8Discoveries
9South Africa and SKA science and technology
10Capacity development for radio astronomy in Africa
11African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (AVN)
12See also
13References
14External links
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Coordinates: 30°42′48″S 21°26′35″E / 30.71322°S 21.44306°E / -30.71322; 21.44306
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
64 antenna radio telescope. South Africa (launched 2018)
MeerKATMeerKAT, South African TelescopeAlternative namesKaroo Array Telescope Part ofSouth African Radio Astronomy ObservatorySquare Kilometre Array Location(s)Meerkat National Park, Karoo Hoogland Local Municipality, Namakwa District Municipality, Northern Cape, RSACoordinates30°42′48″S 21°26′35″E / 30.71322°S 21.44306°E / -30.71322; 21.44306 OrganizationDepartment of Science and InnovationNational Research Foundation Wavelength3 cm (10.0 GHz)–30 cm (1,000 MHz)First light16 July 2016 Telescope styleradio interferometer Number of telescopes64 Diameter13.5 m (44 ft 3 in) Collecting area9,000 m2 (97,000 sq ft) Websitewww.sarao.ac.za Location of MeerKAT Related media on Commons[edit on Wikidata]
MeerKAT, originally the Karoo Array Telescope, is a radio telescope consisting of 64 antennas in the Meerkat National Park, in the Northern Cape of South Africa. In 2003, South Africa submitted an expression of interest to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Radio Telescope in Africa, and the locally designed and built MeerKAT was incorporated into the first phase of the SKA. MeerKAT was launched in 2018.
Along with the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA), also in South Africa, and two radio telescopes in Western Australia, the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) and the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), the MeerKAT is one of four precursors to the final SKA.
History[edit]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2020)
MeerKAT is a precursor for the SKA-mid array, as are the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA), the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) and the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA).[1]
Description[edit]
It is located on the SKA site in the Karoo, and is a pathfinder for SKA-mid technologies and science. It was designed by engineers within the South Africa Radio Astronomy Observatory and South African industries, and most of the hardware and software was sourced in South Africa. It comprises 64 antennas, each 13.5m in diameter, equipped with cryogenic receivers. The antennas have positions for four receivers, and one of the three vacant positions will be filled by S-band receivers provided by the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR). The array configuration has 61% of the antennas located within a 1 km diameter circle, and the remaining 39% distributed out to a radius of 4 km.[citation needed]
The receiver outputs are digitised immediately at the antenna, and the digital data streams are transported to the Karoo Array Processor Building (KAPB) via buried optical fibres. The antenna signals are processed by the Correlator/Beamformer (CBF) digital signal processor. Data from the CBF is passed on to the Science Processor computer cluster and disk storage modules. The MeerKAT antenna data is also made available to a number of user-supplied digital backends via the CBF, including pulsar and fast radio burst (FRB) search engines, a precision pulsar timing system, and a SETI signal processor. A time and frequency reference (TFR) system provides clock and absolute time signals required by the digitisers and other telescope subsystems. This TFR system comprises two hydrogen maser clocks, two rubidium atomic clocks, a precise crystal oscillator, and a set of GNSS receiver systems for time transfer with UTC.[citation needed]
The massive computing and digital signal-processing systems located at the KAPB are housed in a large shielded chamber (or Faraday cage) to prevent radio signals from the equipment interfering with the sensitive radio receivers. The KAPB itself is partially buried below ground level to provide additional radio frequency interference (RFI) protection, and to provide temperature stability. The KAPB also houses a power conditioning facility for the entire site, including three diesel rotary UPS units that provide an uninterrupted power supply to the whole site.[2]
A long-haul optical fibre transfers data from the KAPB to the Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) and SARAO office in Cape Town, and provides a control and monitoring link to the SARAO operations centre in Cape Town. Telescope data processing and reduction is executed on compute facilities provided by the MeerKAT SP systems, and on other high performance computer facilities provides by MeerKAT users.[citation needed]
Specifications[edit]
MeerKAT inaugurated in July 2018[3] consists of 64 dishes of 13.5 metres in diameter each with an offset Gregorian configuration.[4] An offset dish configuration has been chosen because its unblocked aperture provides uncompromised optical performance and sensitivity, excellent imaging quality and good rejection of unwanted radio frequency interference from satellites and terrestrial transmitters. It also facilitates the installation of multiple receiver systems in the primary and secondary focal areas and is the reference design for the mid-band SKA concept.[5]
MeerKAT supports a wide range of observing modes, including deep continuum, polarisation and spectral line imaging, pulsar timing and transient searches. A range of standard data products are provided, including an imaging pipeline. A number of "data spigots" are also available to support user-provided instrumentation. Significant design and qualification efforts are planned to ensure high reliability to achieve low operational cost and high availability.
Specifications
Number of antennae
64
Dish diameter
13.5 m
Minimum baseline
29 m
Maximum baseline
8 km
Frequency bands (receivers)
0.58 – 1.015 GHz0.9 - 1.67 GHz8 – 14.5 GHz
Continuum imaging dynamic range at 1.4 GHz
60 dB
Line-to-line dynamic range at 1.4 GHz
40 dB
Mosaicing imaging dynamic range at 1.4 GHz
27 dB
Linear polarisation cross coupling across −3 dB beam
−30 dB
MeerKAT's 64 dishes are distributed over two components:
A dense inner component containing 70% of the dishes. These are distributed in a two-dimensional fashion with a Gaussian distribution with a mean dispersion of 300 m, a shortest baseline of 29 m and a longest baseline of 1 km.
An outer component containing 30% of the dishes. These are also distributed in a two-dimensional Gaussian distribution with a mean dispersion of 2,500 m and a longest baseline of 8 km.
Construction schedule[edit]
The pedestal of the first MeerKAT telescope in 2014
To acquire experience in the construction of interferometric telescopes, members of the Karoo Array Telescope constructed the Phased Experimental Demonstrator (PED) at the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town between 2005 and 2007.[6]
During 2007, the 15 metres (49 ft) eXperimental Development Model Telescope (XDM) was built at the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory to serve as a testbed for MeerKAT.[7]
Construction of the MeerKAT Precursor Array (MPA – also known as KAT-7), on the site started in August 2009.[8] In April 2010 four of the seven first dishes were linked together as an integrated system to produce its first interferometric image of an astronomical object. In Dec 2010, there was a successful detection of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) fringes between the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory 26 m dish and one of the KAT-7 dishes.[9]
Despite original plans to complete MeerKAT by 2012,[10] construction was suspended in late 2010 due to budget restructure. Science Minister Naledi Pandor denied the suspension marked any setback to the SKA project or 'external considerations'.[11] MeerKAT construction received no funding in 2010/11 and 2011/12.[12] The 2012 South African National Budget projected that just 15 MeerKAT antennas would be completed by 2015.[13]
The last of the reinforced concrete foundations for the MeerKAT antennas was completed on 11 February 2014. Almost 5000 m3 of concrete and over 570 tonnes of steel were used to build the 64 bases over a 9-month period.[14]
MeerKAT is planned to be completed in three phases. The first phase will include all the antennas but only the first receiver will be fitted. A processing bandwidth of 750 MHz is available. For the second and third phases, the remaining two receivers will be fitted and the processing bandwidth will be increased to at least 2 GHz, with a goal of 4 GHz. With construction of all sixty-four MeerKAT antennas complete, verification tests have begun to ensure the instruments are functioning correctly.[15] Following this, MeerKAT will be commissioned in the second half of 2018 with the array then coming online for science operations.
Inauguration[edit]
On 13 July 2018, the Deputy President of South Africa, David Mabuza, inaugurated the MeerKAT Telescope, and unveiled an image produced by MeerKAT that revealed unprecedented detail of the region surrounding the supermassive black hole at the centre of our Milky Way Galaxy.
The 64 MeerKAT antennas will be incorporated into Phase 1 of the SKA Mid Frequency Array once the 133 SKA dishes have been built and commissioned on the Karoo site, resulting in a total of 197 antennas for the SKA array. All of the infrastructure currently associated with MeerKAT will be transferred to the SKA array. The KAPB has the capacity to house the additional equipment required by SKA Mid.
MeerKAT Phasing schedule
2011Precursor (KAT-7)
2016MeerKAT Phase 1
2018 MeerKAT Phase 2 and 3
Number of dishes
7
64
64
Receiver bands (GHz)
0.9 – 1.6
1.00 – 1.75
0.58 – 1.0150.9 - 1.678 – 14.5
Max processed BW (GHz)
0.256
0.75
2 (goal 4)
Max baseline (km)
0.2
8
20
Min baseline (m)
20
29
29
Science objectives[edit]
The science objectives of the MeerKAT surveys are in line with the prime science drivers for the first phase of the SKA, confirming MeerKAT's designation as an SKA precursor instrument. Five years of observing time on MeerKAT have been allocated to leading astronomers who have applied for time to do research.
Site[edit]
Further information: Meerkat National Park
The South African Department of Science and Technology, through the NRF and SARAO, has invested more than R760 million in infrastructure on the South African SKA site. The innovative design and engineering of the infrastructure established for MeerKAT, as well as the RFI-quiet environment, favourable physical site characteristics, and on-site technical expertise has positioned the site in the Karoo as an ideal location for other radio astronomy experiments.
The HERA (Hydrogen Epoch of Reionisation Array) radio telescope is one such instrument co-located at the South African SKA site. HERA is designed to detect, for the first time, radio signals from the very first stars and galaxies that formed early in the life of the universe. South African engineers and scientists are working with their colleagues at the University of California Berkeley in the US, and Cambridge University in the UK, to build HERA and exploit its unique and fundamental scientific capabilities.
Other experiments which have been constructed at the SA SKA site include PAPER (the Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization) and the C-BASS (the C-Band All Sky Survey).
To ensure long term viability of the Karoo site for the MeerKAT and the SKA, and for other radio astronomy instruments, the South African Parliament passed the Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act, in 2007. The act gives the Minister of Science and Technology the authority to protect areas, through regulations, that are of strategic national importance for astronomy and related scientific endeavours.
Discoveries[edit]
In September 2019, an international team of astronomers using South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope discovered enormous balloon-like structures that tower hundreds of light-years above and below the centre of our galaxy.[16]
South Africa and SKA science and technology[edit]
The experience gained by South African engineers in the design and construction of MeerKAT had been carried over to the SKA design, reducing risks and development costs. South African engineers within SARAO and South African industrial partners have participated in 7 of the 11 SKA engineering design consortia, contributing about 10% of the workforce in these internationally distributed consortia. The Infrastructure South Africa Consortium and the Assembly, Integration, Verification (AIV) Consortium have been led by SARAO, and there was South African participation in the DISH Consortium, Science Data Processor (SDP) Consortium, the Signal and Data Transport (SaDT Consortium), the Telescope Manager (TM) Consortium and the Mid-frequency Aperture Array Consortium. South African engineers have overseen the system engineering aspects of 5 of the consortia. SARAO has signed an MoU with the SKAO to provide resources to the Bridging Activities that will continue the development of SKA subsystems now that the consortia have concluded their work. Participation by South African industrial partners in previous consortium work and future Bridging Activities is facilitated by SARAO through the Financial Assistance Programme (FAP) funding initiative.
Scientists from SARAO and South African universities are well represented on the various SKA Science Working Groups (SWGs), with about 10% of the authors of papers in the SKA Science Book having South African institution affiliations. The MeerKAT Large Science Projects (LSPs) are closely aligned with the SKA science case, and there is a large membership overlap between the LSP teams and the associated SWGs.
Capacity development for radio astronomy in Africa[edit]
To create the required skills to design, construct and operate the SKA and MeerKAT telescopes, and to make optimal use of these radio telescopes for research, once commissioned, SARAO initiated a capacity development programme, in 2005. The programme is fully integrated into the operations of SARAO, and it is crafted to develop and retain the excellent researchers, engineers and artisans required to ensure that the MeerKAT and SKA will be successful in South Africa. To date the programme has provided more than 1000 scholarships and fellowships across all relevant academic levels, and for a range of relevant qualifications. The programme is coveted by academic colleagues from abroad because of its success in developing, from a low base, significant expertise in radio astronomy over the past 14 years.
Science projects
Research leaders
Testing Einstein's theory of gravity and gravitational radiation – Investigating the physics of enigmatic neutron stars through observations of pulsars.
Prof Matthew Bailes, Swinburne Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Australia
LADUMA (Looking at the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array)[17] – An ultra-deep survey of neutral hydrogen gas in the early universe.
Dr Sarah Blyth, University of Cape Town, South AfricaDr Benne Holwerda, European Space Agency, The NetherlandsDr Andrew Baker, Rutgers University, United States
MESMER (MeerKAT Search for Molecules in the Epoch of Reionization) – Searching for CO at high red-shift (z>7) to investigate the role of molecular hydrogen in the early universe.
Dr Ian Heywood, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey for atomic hydrogen and OH lines in absorption against distant continuum sources (OH line ratios may give clues about changes in the fundamental constants in the early universe).
Dr Neeraj Gupta, ASTRON, The NetherlandsDr Raghunathan Srianand, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, India
MHONGOOSE (MeerKAT HI Observations of Nearby Galactic Objects: Observing Southern Emitters) – Investigations of different types of galaxies, dark matter and the cosmic web.
Prof Erwin de Blok, University of Cape Town, South Africa
TRAPUM (Transients and Pulsars with MeerKAT) – Searching for and investigating new and exotic pulsars.
Dr Benjamin Stappers, Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, United KingdomProf Michael Kramer, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Germany
A MeerKAT HI Survey of the Fornax Cluster (Galaxy formation and evolution in the cluster environment).
Dr Paolo Serra, ASTRON, The Netherlands
MeerGAL (MeerKAT High Frequency Galactic Plane Survey) – Galactic structure and dynamics, distribution of ionised gas, recombination lines, interstellar molecular gas and masers.
Dr Mark Thompson, University of Hertfordshire, United KingdomDr Sharmila Goedhart, SKA South Africa, South Africa
MIGHTEE (MeerKAT International GigaHertz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration survey) – Deep continuum observations of the earliest radio galaxies.
Dr Kurt van der Heyden, University of Cape Town, South AfricaDr Matt Jarvis, University of the Western Cape, South Africa and the University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
ThunderKAT (The Hunt for Dynamic and Explosive Radio Transients with MeerKAT) – e.g. gamma-ray bursts, novae and supernovae, plus new types of transient radio sources.
Prof Patrick Woudt, University of Cape Town, South AfricaProf Rob Fender, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Breakthrough Listen Search for Intelligent Life, commensal survey – e.g. SETI.
Dr. Andrew Siemion, Berkeley SETI Research Center University of California, Berkeley, United States
African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (AVN)[edit]
The African Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Network (AVN) is an important development towards building SKA on the African Continent. The AVN programme will transfer skills and knowledge in the SKA African partner countries (Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zambia) to build, maintain, operate and use radio telescopes.
MeerKAT will also participate in global VLBI operations with all major radio astronomy observatories around the world and will add considerably to the sensitivity of the global VLBI network. Further potential science objectives for MeerKAT are to participate in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and collaborate with NASA on downloading information from space probes.
See also[edit]
Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder
Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory
Karoo
List of radio telescopes
Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization
South African Astronomical Observatory for optical astronomy in South Africa
Square Kilometer Array
References[edit]
^ "Precursors and pathfinders". SKA: Square Kilometre Array (Public Website). Retrieved 22 December 2020.
^ Campbell, Keith. "SA radio telescope soon to start component and system tests with first two dishes". www.engineeringnews.co.za. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
^ "MeerKAT radio telescope inaugurated in South Africa – reveals clearest view yet of centre of the Milky Way". 13 July 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
^ "SKA Africa eNews". SKA South Africa Project. Archived from the original on 15 October 2010. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
^ "MeerKAT Concept Design Review". MeerKAT. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
^ "History of PED". Karoo Array Telescope. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
^ "Progress with KAT – XDM". Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
^
Campbell, Keith (29 May 2009). "Radio telescope project advances with issue of tender". Martin Creamer Engineering News.
^ First HartRAO-KAT-7 VLBI fringes signal new capability Archived 11 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ Science and Technology Dept Budget Vote 2009/10 Speech, 18 June 2009
^ Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project plans on schedule states Pandor 9 November 2010
^ South Africa National Budget – Estimates of National Expenditure, Table 34.6 "Research, Development and Innovation" page 766
^ South Africa National Budget – Estimates of National Expenditure page 764
^ "MeerKAT telescope foundations complete". Phys.org. 11 February 2014.
^ Tshangela, Lebo (16 May 2018). "MeerKAT telescope is complete". SABC News. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
^ "South Africa's MeerKAT telescope discovers giant radio 'bubbles' at centre of Milky Way". Public Website. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
^ "Home page for the LADUMA (Looking at the Distant Universe with the MeerKAT Array) survey". Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
External videos Creamer Media's Shannon O'Donnell speaks to Engineering News senior contributing editor Keith Campbell about the MeerKAT radio telescope. 24 April 2009
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to MeerKAT.
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Also known as: Suricata suricatta, mierkat, slender-tailed meerkat, slender-tailed mierkat, suricate
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meerkat
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meerkat, (Suricata suricatta), burrowing member of the mongoose family (Herpestidae), found in southwestern Africa, that is unmistakably recognizable in its upright “sentinel” posture as it watches for predators. The meerkat is slender and has a pointed little face, tiny ears, and black eye patches. Body length is about 29 cm (11 inches), and the smooth, pointed tail is 19 cm long. Colour varies from dark to grizzled light gray or tan, with broad dark bars across the back and a black-tipped tail. Adults weigh less than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds), with older dominant breeders heavier than subordinates. Easily tamed, the meerkat is sometimes kept as a pet to kill rodents.meerkat (Suricata suricatta)Meerkats (Suricata suricatta). These members of the mongoose family inhabit the semiarid lowlands of southwestern Africa.(more)Meerkats live in cooperative packs of 3 to 25 with partially overlapping home ranges of a few square kilometres, which they mark with secretions of the anal glands. Packs will chase or fight one another if they meet. Meerkats shelter in burrow systems having multiple entrances and measuring up to 5 metres (16 feet) across. Several levels of tunnels and chambers extend to 1.5 metres below ground. Each home range contains about five such warrens. Packs spend the night inside, and pups are born there. They also retreat into their tunnels for an afternoon rest to avoid the heat of midday. While the temperature may be 38 °C (100 °F) on the surface, it is 23 °C (73 °F) a metre below. Meerkats probably dig these warrens themselves, although they have been reported to move in with South African ground squirrels (Xerus inauris).
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How meerkats survive venomous scorpion stingsA meerkat disarming a scorpion.(more)See all videos for this articleIn the morning the pack leaves the den to search for food—mostly beetles, caterpillars, termites, spiders, and scorpions but also lizards, birds, small snakes, and rodents. They forage five to eight hours per day, spaced one to five metres apart while softly vocalizing to maintain contact. Prey is located in crevices and under stones or logs primarily by smell and is rapidly dug up. Large prey is battered with the heavy claws on the forefeet before being torn to pieces. In the dry season meerkats obtain water by digging up succulent tubers.Meerkat (Suricata suricatta).Struggles of jackals and meerkats in NamibiaMeerkats evading a mother jackal that is searching for food for her cubs.(more)See all videos for this articleAs they forage in broad daylight in the open and away from the den, meerkats are susceptible to attack, especially by jackals and raptors. While digging, they glance around frequently for these predators. The prospect of being taken by surprise is met by sentinel behaviour. One meerkat takes up a raised position on a termite mound or tree branch, where it sits erect and watches. The others are aware the sentinel is on duty and can thus spend more time digging. If the sentinel sees a predator approaching, it alerts the others with a high-pitched call, and the pack scatters for cover. Pack members take turns doing this in no particular order; they do not, however, act as sentinels before they have eaten their fill, benefitting first from the early warning. Sentinels, therefore, are not really the altruists they were once thought to be.In each pack is a dominant male that tries to prevent other males from mating. There is also a dominant female that produces more litters than other females. Meerkats are unusual among carnivores in that the pups are raised with the assistance of adults other than the parents. In the wild, a female bears one or occasionally two litters of three or four pups annually, usually during the rainy season. They are weaned at seven to nine weeks of age but are dependent on adults for much longer. Pups begin sampling insects at three weeks, but they cannot follow the adults away from the den until one or two weeks later. During this period, at least one helper each day fasts while it keeps the pups inside the den and defends against neighbouring meerkats, which would kill them. Once allowed out of the den, pups follow the pack, begging with squeaks when food is dug up. Helpers feed pups until they are three to six months old and carry pups that fall behind when the pack moves. They even crouch over the pups, shielding them from attack by raptors. Helpers are thus valuable to the breeding female but less so if there are other litters to care for. For that reason, the dominant female is extremely hostile to subordinates that try to breed, and she causes endocrine effects that prevent young females from ovulating. If this fails, the dominant female may attack subordinates during estrus and pregnancy or kill their pups. Pups are also killed by subordinates, a fact apparently recognized by the dominant female. She expels other females late in her own pregnancy. About half of those expelled return a few weeks later, when her hostility has subsided. The dominant one’s ability to control other females is reduced in a large pack, particularly as subordinate females reach the age of three years. Births among other mothers become more common, and the pack consists of several family groups living cooperatively, though the dominant female still produces more pups than all her subordinates combined. Apparently, it is so hazardous for meerkats to leave the larger pack, and so unlikely that they could rear offspring without helpers anyway, that many young animals simply postpone reproduction. In the meantime, they raise others’ pups in order to maintain larger pack size, as individuals in large packs live longer. Small packs do not survive drought years, possibly because they are expelled from their home ranges by larger neighbouring packs.
Meerkat (Suricata suricatta).Meerkats and the other mongooses are classified in their own family, Herpestidae. They were formerly included within Viverridae, a very old carnivore family that includes civets and genets. Most mongooses differ from viverrids by being terrestrial, insectivorous, diurnal, and gregarious. As a tunneler, the meerkat is possibly the most specialized mongoose. The narrow feet have four toes instead of five and possess extremely long, tough nails on the forefeet. The animal also has smaller ears and thinner hair. The yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata), sometimes called the red meerkat, sometimes shares warrens with meerkats and is intermediate in form between meerkats and other mongooses. It has four toes on the hind feet but five on the forefeet, larger ears, and a bushy coat and tail.
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.
Meerkat | National Geographic
Meerkat | National Geographic
Skip to contentNewslettersSubscribeMenuMeerkats gaze alertly, monitoring for danger near their den.
Photograph by Beverly Joubert, Nat Geo Image CollectionPlease be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.AnimalsReferenceMeerkatShareTweetEmailCommon Name: MeerkatScientific Name: Suricata suricattaType: MammalsDiet: OmnivoreSize: Head and body: 9.75 to 11.75 inches; tail: 7.5 to 9.5 inchesWeight: Up to 2.2 poundsSize relative to a 6-ft man: IUCN Red List Status: ? Least concern LCNTVUENCREWEX Least Concern Extinct Current Population Trend: StableThese gregarious animals are often seen in groups, and several families may live together in a large community. Standing PostureSquirrel-sized meerkats are mongooses famed for their upright posture. They often stand on their rear legs and gaze alertly over the southern African plains where they live. Mothers can even nurse their young while standing.Cooperative BehaviorMeerkats (also called suricates) work together in numbers. A few will typically serve as lookouts, watching the skies for birds of prey, such as hawks and eagles, that can snatch them from the ground. A sharp, shrill call is the signal for all to take cover. While a few individuals guard the group, the rest busy themselves foraging for the foods that make up their varied diet. Meerkats will eat insects, lizards, birds, and fruit. When hunting small game, they work together and communicate with purring sounds. Meerkats are good hunters and are sometimes tamed for use as rodent-catchers.Burrow LifeMeerkat groups utilize several different burrows and move from one to another. Each burrow is an extensive tunnel-and-room system that remains cool even under the broiling African sun. Females give birth to two to four young each year in one of the group's burrows. Fathers and siblings help to raise meerkat young, teaching them to play and forage and alerting them to the ever present danger from above. Young meerkats are so fearful of predatory birds that even airplanes will send them diving for cover.0:55WATCH: Meerkat Survival TacticsMeerkats are predators. They use various tactics to eat dangerous prey such as toxic millipedes and poisonous scorpions.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. 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Meerkat - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meerkat - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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1How meerkats act
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4Having children
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Meerkat
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From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meerkat
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Family:
Herpestidae
Genus:
SuricataDesmarest, 1804
Species:
S. suricatta
Binomial name
Suricata suricatta(Schreber, 1776)
Meerkat range
A meerkat (Suricata suricatta) is a small mammal that lives in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa.[2] Despite its common name, it is more closely related to the mongoose family than to cats. A group of meerkats is called a "mob" or "gang," and usually all of the meerkats are relatives.
How meerkats act[change | change source]
Meerkats live in burrows in the ground.[3] They are active during the day, except when hot during the afternoon sun.[3] They also live in large family groups.[2] The group is led by a female and a male. The meerkats are often all family. They get rid of fleas in each other's fur to become friends, which is called "grooming". Sometimes if a minor member is in trouble with the leader it will groom the leader to try and calm them down.
The meerkats help each other. When the family is eating or playing together, one meerkat acts as a sentry, and looks out for predators. If he or she sees one, then he gives a chirp and the group runs to a burrow to be safe.[2] Also, when pups are looking for food, adults bring them food and teach them how to eat it.
Before pups start looking for food with the group, they are babysat by older members at the burrow to protect them from danger. Sometimes a female who never gave birth will produce milk for the pups.
Meerkats can share their burrows with many different animals, such as other mongooses and sometimes squirrels who live on the ground. Sometimes even a snake will share the burrow with a meerkat.
Despite the family bond of meerkats, sometimes a female might kill another female's pups. The leader might also kick out some females from the group. Males sometimes leave the group for a short time to look for females in other groups to mate with.
Meerkats have many different chirps that they use for different reasons. They have a different chirp for being friends, anger, and for warning of an animal that will eat them.
Eating behavior[change | change source]
Meerkats eat mostly insects, but they also eat lizards, snakes, spiders, birds, plants, eggs and other small mammals.[4]) Like all members of the mongoose family, meerkats cannot be hurt by some venoms, and they eat scorpions (including the stinger) and some snakes, without fear of illness, poison or death.[5] They have no extra body fat, so they must look for food every day and eat food every day.
When the meerkat group is eating, a guard will stand up and look for any animals that might eat its family. If the guard sees an animal, it gives a loud chirp, and the family will run to a hole to be safe. Many animals eat meerkats. Most eagles, hawks, and falcons will eat them. Baby meerkats, called "pups," are sometimes also eaten by snakes. Jackals and other big animals that eat meat will sometimes eat meerkats.
When pups are looking for food, they will cry loudly, and an adult will come and feed them. At first, the adult gives the pup a dead animal, then, when the pup is older, the adult will bring a live animal but will hurt it so the pup can kill it easier. Then the adults start bringing live animals that are healthy, and when the pup gets the hang of eating these, the adults stop bringing food.
The meerkat body[change | change source]
The meerkat weighs about one and a half pounds, and the meerkat is ten to fourteen inches long. The meerkat uses its tail to balance because it stands up on its back legs to look for predators. Around the eyes are black patches that lessen the bright light that comes into them. Meerkats have long claws that help them dig and fight. The back of the meerkat is furry, and it has stripes to help it not be seen by predators. The front side is black and has no fur because it needs to get warm in the morning to be ready for the day.
Meerkats also have ears that can open and close. They close in order to keep sand out when they are burrowing.
A meerkat using its tail for balance
Having children[change | change source]
Meerkats playing in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park in Botswana.
The meerkat is old enough to have children at one year.[2] Meerkats can have one to seven babies at one time. Four is the most common. Meerkats can give birth at any time of the year but like to give birth in spring and summer because there is more food. Female meerkats can have up to three litters in one year. When the babies are born they are pink and have no hair. Their eyes and ears are closed. When they are three weeks old, the mother allows them to get out of the burrow.[6] By this time their eyes and ears have opened and they have light brown fur. The babies cannot be left alone so one of the other meerkats besides the mother stays behind to watch them.
After the mother mates with the father, the babies develop for eleven weeks. Then she gives birth in a burrow. She feeds the babies milk until they start looking for food with the rest of the group, which is when they turn one month old.
The leader of the group is a girl, and her mate is the male leader. This pair does not allow other minor members of their family to have babies. If a female does, then the leader kicks her out, and sometimes the leader kills her grandchildren. Most of the meerkats in a group are either the leader's brothers and sisters or children.
New meerkat groups form when a female is kicked out and she teams up with a male and starts a new family.
References[change | change source]
↑ "Suricata suricatta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2009. The database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Suricata suricatta". animaldiversity.org.
↑ 3.0 3.1 Carnivores. Britannica Educational Publishing. 2010. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-61530-385-4.
↑ Trappe, James M.; Claridge, Andrew W.; Arora, David; Smit, W. Adriaan (2008). "Desert truffles of the Kalahari: ecology, ethnomycology and taxonomy". Economic Botany. 62 (3): 521–529. doi:10.1007/s12231-008-9027-6. S2CID 34319584.
↑ David Attenborough's World Of Wildlife 9 – Meerkats United (1999). Video
↑ "Meerkat". zooatlanta.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
Further reading[change | change source]
David Macdonald (Photography by Nigel Dennis): Meerkats. London: New Holland Publishers, 1999.
"Meerkat pups go to eating school". BBC News. 13 July 2006.
Other websites[change | change source]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Suricata suricatta.
Wikispecies has information on: Suricata suricatta.
Animal Diversity – Meerkat
Learn About Meerkats Archived 2011-09-21 at the Wayback Machine
Authority control: National
Israel
United States
Japan
Taxon identifiersSuricata suricatta
Wikidata: Q134015
Wikispecies: Suricata suricatta
ADW: Suricata_suricatta
ARKive: suricata-suricatta
EoL: 311580
EPPO: SURITE
Fossilworks: 232149
GBIF: 2434126
iNaturalist: 41943
IRMNG: 11244376
ITIS: 621906
IUCN: 41624
MSW: 14000678
NCBI: 37032
Observation.org: 85774
TSA: 17067
Viverra suricatta
Wikidata: Q122789453
GBIF: 7481103
ZooBank: 6E70B1F4-B967-4861-BC1D-6AEAC06F3B44
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Meerkat&oldid=9405641"
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Meerkat
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Skip to contentSearchShopGamesPuzzlesActionFunny Fill-InVideosAmazing AnimalsWeird But True!Party AnimalsTry This!AnimalsMammalsBirdsPrehistoricReptilesAmphibiansInvertebratesFishExplore MoreMagazinehistoryScienceSpaceU.S. StatesWeird But True!SubscribemenuPlease be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.1 / 31 / 3These squirrel-size members of the mongoose family live in groups as large as 40, and everyone in the mob participates in gathering food, keeping a look out for predators, and taking care of the babies.These squirrel-size members of the mongoose family live in groups as large as 40, and everyone in the mob participates in gathering food, keeping a look out for predators, and taking care of the babies.Photograph by Nico Smit, DreamstimeAnimalsMammalsMeerkatThere are few animals on Earth who work as well together as meerkats. These squirrel-size members of the mongoose family live in groups as large as 40, and everyone in the mob participates in gathering food, keeping a look out for predators, and taking care of the babies.Common Name: MeerkatScientific Name: Suricata suricattaType: MammalsDiet: OmnivoreSize: Head and body: 9.75 to 11.75 inches; tail: 7.5 to 9.5 inchesWeight: Up to 2.2 poundsMeerkats live in the deserts and grasslands of the southern tip of Africa. They are extremely cute, with bushy, brown-striped fur, a small, pointed face, and large eyes surrounded by dark patches. They average about 20 inches (50 centimeters) long, including their tail. These extremely social animals live together in burrows, which they dig with their long, sharp claws. Living underground keeps mob members safe from predators and out of the harsh African heat. These burrows can be 16 feet (5 meters) long and contain multiple entrances, tunnels, and rooms. A group will use up to five separate burrows at a time.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Meerkats only go outside during the daytime. Each morning, as the sun comes up, the mob emerges and begins looking for food. They use their keen sense of smell to locate their favorite foods, which include beetles, caterpillars, spiders, and scorpions. They'll also eat small reptiles, birds, eggs, fruit, and plants. Back at the burrow, several babysitters stay behind to watch over newborn pups. This duty rotates to different members of the mob, and a sitter will often go all day without food. The babysitters' main job is to protect pups from meerkats in rival mobs, who will kill the babies if they can. While the rest of the mob forages for food, one or more meerkats, called a sentry, will find a high point, like a termite mound, and perch on their back legs, scanning the sky and desert for predators like eagles, hawks, and jackals. A sentry who senses danger will let out a high-pitched squeal, sending the mob scrambling for cover.Meerkats dig safe places called bolt-holes throughout their foraging area, where they can hide in an emergency. If caught in the open by a predator, a meerkat will try to look fierce, lying on its back and showing its teeth and claws. If a group is confronted, the meerkats will stand together, arching their backs, raising their hair, and hissing. This sometimes fools an attacker into thinking they are a single large, vicious animal. Meerkats are abundant throughout their range and are not considered threatened or endangered. But they live a very difficult life in the African desert, constantly threatened by hungry predators, rival meerkats, drought, and burrow-flooding rainstorms.2:22MeerkatsWhat's so interesting about the mischievous meerkat? For one, they like to eat scorpions.Explore more!Amazing AnimalsWatch to discover interesting facts about animals from all over the world.Comeback crittersSee how animal species in trouble have come back from the brink of extinction.Save the Earth tipsFind out how you can help make a difference.Endangered Species ActHow this 1973 law protects animalsLegalTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyYour California Privacy RightsChildren's Online Privacy PolicyInterest-Based AdsAbout Nielsen MeasurementDo Not Sell My InfoOur SitesNational GeographicNational Geographic EducationShop Nat GeoCustomer ServiceJoin UsSubscribeManage Your Subscription Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved
Meerkat Facts! - National Geographic Kids
Meerkat Facts! - National Geographic Kids
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Meerkat Facts!
Get the lowdown on one seriously cute critter with our mega meerkat facts!
Fast meerkat facts
Scientific name: Suricata suricatta
Family name: Herpestidae
Classification: Mammal
IUCN status: Least concern
Lifespan (in wild): 12-14 years
Weight: Less than one kilogram
Body length: Around 29cm (plus a 19cm tail)
Top speed: 32 km/h
Diet: Omnivore: beetles, caterpillars, spiders, and scorpions. They’ll also eat small reptiles, birds, eggs, fruit and plants.
Habitat: Desert
Range:
There are few animals on Earth who work as well together as meerkats. These squirrel-size members of the mongoose family live in groups of different sizes, from as little as three to as big as 50 members. everyone in the mob participates in gathering food, keeping a look out for predators and taking care of the babies.
Meerkats live in the deserts and grasslands of the southern tip of Africa. They are super cute, with bushy, brown-striped fur, a small, pointed face and large eyes surrounded by dark patches. They average about 50 centimetres long, including their tail. These extremely social animals live together in burrows, which they dig with their long, sharp claws. Living underground keeps mob members safe from predators and out of the harsh African heat. These burrows can be 5 metres long and contain multiple entrances, tunnels, and rooms. A group will use up to five separate burrows at a time.
Meerkats only go outside during the daytime. Each morning, as the sun comes up, the mob emerges and begins looking for food. They use their keen sense of smell to locate their favourite foods, which include beetles, caterpillars, spiders and scorpions. They”ll also eat small reptiles, birds, eggs, fruit and plants. Back at the burrow, several babysitters stay behind to watch over newborn pups. This duty rotates to different members of the mob, and a sitter will often go all day without food. The babysitters” main job is to protect pups from meerkats in rival mobs who, if given the chance, will kill the babies. Eeek!
While the rest of the mob forages for food, one of the meerkats (or sometimes more), called a sentry, will find a high point, like a termite mound, and perch on its back legs. From here it scans the sky and desert for predators such as eagles, hawks and jackals. A sentry who senses danger will let out a high-pitched squeal, sending the mob scrambling for cover.
Meerkats dig safe places called bolt holes throughout their foraging area, where they can hide in an emergency. But if caught in the open by a predator, a meerkat will try to look fierce, lying on its back and showing its teeth and claws. If a group is confronted, the meerkats will stand together, arching their backs, raising their hair and hissing. This sometimes fools an attacker into thinking they are a single large, vicious animal.
Meerkats are abundant throughout their range and are not considered threatened or endangered. But they live a very difficult life in the African desert, constantly threatened by hungry predators, rival meerkats, drought and burrow-flooding rainstorms.
Picture credits
Meerkat watching for predator: Joel Sartore, National Geographic Creative. Group of meerkats: Nico Smit, Dreamstime. Meerkat group on rock: tratong, Shutterstock. Meerkat sitting on log: Kjuuurs, Dreamstime. Map of meerkat distribution: National Geographic Maps.
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milly
i like meerkats they're so cool
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i think meerkats are extraodinary animals
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these pictures of merrkats are so sweet there my favorite animal.
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doesnt say who found them
Doreen Green AKA Squirrel Girl
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Doreen Green AKA Squirrel Girl
I love meerkats
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lyla
hi, i would love to be a zoo keeper at perth zoo. i study biology to get a degree when i an older . i am hoping to be a meerkat keeper which is in the african savana area of the zoo also known as exotic. i love meerkats
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Meet the Meerkats
the MeerkatsEducationSign InMenuDonateVIDEOVIDEOMeet the MeerkatsMeet the MeerkatsA meerkat is a mammal of the mongoose family. Its habitat is the Kalahari Desert.Grades1 - 8SubjectsBiology, Geography, Physical GeographyBackground InfoVocabularyQuestionsThe meerkat is a species of mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Its habitat is the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa. Meerkats function cooperatively in a group led by a female meerkat. The dominant female leader is called a matriarch.Fast FactAll meerkats in a mob care for the offspring of the dominant female, or matriarch.Fast FactMeerkats follow the lead of the dominant female when battling predators or other meerkat mobs.Fast FactWhen the dominant female dies, she is replaced by one of the oldest and biggest females of the group.Fast FactAll meerkats in a mob take care of the female leader's babies.Fast FactMeerkat babies are called pups.Fast FactMeerkats follow the lead of the matriarch when battling dangerous animals or other meerkat mobs.Fast FactWhen the matriarch dies, the oldest and biggest female becomes the new leader.ReferenceNational Geographic Animals: MeerkatsSan Diego Zoo: MeerkatsNational Geographic Kids: MeerkatsWebsiteKalahari Meerkat ProjectCreditsMedia CreditsThe audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.WriterJeanne Wallace-Weaver, Educational ConsultantEditorAnne Haywood, National Geographic SocietyNational Geographic ProgramMeerkats 3DotherLast UpdatedOctober 19, 2023User PermissionsFor information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.MediaIf a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.TextText on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.InteractivesAny interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.Related ResourcesNational Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036ABOUTNational Geographic SocietyNatGeo.comNews and ImpactContact UsExploreOur ExplorersOur ProgramsEducationNat Geo LiveStorytellers CollectiveTraveling ExhibitionsJoin UsWays to GiveApply for a GrantCareersdonateget updatesConnectNational Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. © 1996 - 2024 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.Privacy Notice|Sustainability Policy|Terms of Service|Code of EthMeerkat | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants
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Stable
Meerkat
Suricata suricatta
CLASS: Mammalia (Mammals)
ORDER: Carnivora
FAMILY: Herpestidae
GENUS: Suricata
SPECIES: suricatta
ABOUT
Meerkats are a type of mongoose.Safety in numbers: A “kat” is not a “cat” when it’s a meerkat, a vital, clever, and amazing weasel-like animal that is a member of the mongoose family. Most people know meerkats from the character Timon in The Lion King animated movie. However, instead of spending all their time with a warthog, most meerkats live in underground burrows in large groups of up to 40 individuals called a gang or a mob. For meerkats, there isn’t just safety in numbers—there’s also companionship. The mob is made up of several family groups, with one dominant pair that produces most of the offspring. But meerkats don’t have to be related to belong to the same group. Meerkat mobs spend a lot of their time grooming and playing together to keep the family as a tight unit. This existence helps meerkats survive.
A meerkat baby peeks its head out of a burrowAlthough they are excellent diggers, meerkats usually live in burrows dug by other wildlife, such as ground squirrels. These burrows have an average of 15 entrance and exit holes, with tunnels and chambers at several levels, some as deep as 6.5 feet (2 meters). The deeper tunnels stay at a constant, comfortable temperature, whether it's hot or cold outside. A meerkat mob has several burrow systems, complete with toilet and sleeping chambers, within its territory and moves from one to another every few months.
Meerkats have scent pouches below their tails and rub these pouches on rocks and plants to mark their territory. The territories of different meerkat mobs often overlap, resulting in constant disputes. When the two groups meet for a face-off, the results can be tragic. Meerkats are aggressive fighters that often kill each other in these skirmishes. Knowing the high cost of an all-out war, they try to avoid serious conflict if possible. Usually, a lot of aggressive posturing and bluffing precedes any physical contact. These wars can look a bit like the human battles of yesteryear: both sides line up across a field and, at the same moment, charge forward with leaps and bounds, holding their tail rigid and straight up in the air. Every third or fourth leap, they arch their back and thrust their rear legs backward like a bucking bronco. Whichever side has the most threatening display in their charge may “psych out” the opponents. Yet meerkats mobs have been known to accept outside individuals into their mob, and they sometimes share their burrows with yellow mongooses Cynictis penicillata.
Unfortunately for meerkats, they are a tasty treat for larger carnivores, especially jackals, eagles, and falcons. However, meerkats have developed a way to forage in relative safety: adults take turns acting as guard while the others can look for food without worries. The guard climbs to the highest rock, termite mound, or bush he or she can find, stands upright on two legs, and then announces the beginning of guard duty with a specialized call. It makes a low, constant peeping, known as the "watchman's song," when all is well.
If a predator is spotted, the guard alerts the others with a bark or whistle. There are different calls for land predators and for those coming from the air. When the alarm is raised, the meerkats usually run for the nearest hole, called a bolt hole. These are tunnels with wider openings designed to hold a crowd of meerkats at once. Meerkats memorize the locations of thousands of bolt holes within their territory and are able to run to the closest one at a moment's notice. A meerkat mob sometimes stirs up dust to create a cover, or the mob may stand together to look larger, acting fierce to discourage a predator.
Meerkats have been known to kill venomous snakes, but they don’t accomplish this task alone—they work as a mob. Some snakes feed on meerkats and slither into their underground tunnels, looking for a warm meal. Because of this, meerkats do not tolerate any snakes in their midst. They attack simultaneously and bite the snake wherever possible. It doesn’t take long for the snake to tire and become overwhelmed by the unrelenting gang. These meerkats mobs have been known to chase off many would-be predators much bigger than themselves.
A meerkat suns itself. One of the San Diego Zoo's meerkats was the animator's model for the portrayal of Timon in Disney’s animated movie, "The Lion King." Meerkats are diurnal: once the sun is up, they carefully emerge from their burrow and spend some time sunbathing and grooming. Meerkats have thin fur and dark skin on their stomachs that helps them control body temperature. They can lie on their backs and get quickly warmed by the sun or lie stomach down on a cool rock in the heat of midday. Once warmed up and ready to go, the meerkats forage for most of the day, perhaps stopping in the shade or a burrow during the hottest hours. Then they return to the main burrow to snuggle up for the night.
HABITAT AND DIET
When standing erect, meerkats balance on a long, stiff tail that they use like a kickstand on a bicycle.Many adaptations help meerkats live in their arid, dusty environment in southern Africa’s Kalahari Desert. Dark patches around their eyes cut down on the sun’s glare, and long, horizontal pupils give meerkats a wide range of vision. Meerkats are adapted for digging and have a membrane that can cover the eye to protect it while burrowing. These small diggers also have ears that close to keep out the sand while at work. In addition, meerkats have four toes (most mongoose species have five) on each foot and very long, nonretractable claws to help them dig.
No prey is safe from meerkats! With their excellent sense of smell, they can even find their food when it is hiding underground. Meerkats can dig very quickly to find insects (the biggest part of their diet), spiders, snails, rodents, birds, eggs, lizards, and scorpions. They have a home territory of about 4 square miles (10 square kilometers) or more and hunt in a different section each day, returning to the first area after about a week. Each meerkat must find its own food, but they may share the task of capturing and eating a large lizard or other large food item.
FAMILY LIFE
When pups finally emerge from the den, they stay close to mom—and other adults—as they learn the ropes topside.Mom's in charge: Meerkats have a matriarchal society, with adult females generally slightly larger than males. The dominant female can have several litters a year, but usually she has babies, called pups, during times when there is plenty of food, which is generally during the rainy season (November through March). Pups are born with eyes and ears shut and are mostly hairless at birth. Their eyes open after two weeks, and pups start eating food other than milk at three weeks. When they are four weeks old, the pups first venture out of their den. They are weaned by nine weeks.
Young meerkats do not know what kind of food to eat, so their mother or another adult teaches them. Mom brings home whole food such as an insect or lizard and leaps around in front of the pups until they take the food from her mouth. She even brings home scorpions with their tails bitten off, so the young can learn how to kill them without getting hurt. While adult meerkats have some immunity to scorpion stings, a scorpion’s large pincers can still do plenty of damage, and the pups have to learn to deal carefully with this dangerous food item.
Baby meerkats. Other names for meerkats include slender-tailed meerkat and African suricate. In addition to taking turns as guard, meerkats also share the duty of raising the pups and teaching them how to hide, hunt, clean, and defend all that is theirs. The mother needs to spend time foraging to supply her pups with milk, so other females and males stay behind to care for and protect her young. The mob may sometimes decide to move to a different burrow, and these "babysitters" help transport the pups, carrying them by the scruff of the neck. The pups spend most of their time playing, and both pups and adults are very vocal. They make a peeping sound when playing, which rises to a louder twitter when they are excited, and purr when content. The more babysitters there are in a mob, the greater the survival rate for the pups.
CONSERVATION
Fortunately for meerkats, they seem to be doing all right in their native habitat. Yet movies and television shows have brought meerkats lots of attention, with many people wondering if they can have a meerkat as a pet. Although they may look cute, meerkats—like all wildlife—do not make good pets, and are illegal to own without the proper permits and licenses. Instead, head to your local zoo to enjoy these small creatures in action. They’ll be scanning the skies and watching for you!
By supporting San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, you are our ally in saving and protecting wildlife worldwide.
Sounds
bonk.mp3
Meerkat bark sound
LIFE SPAN
For meerkats in human care, median life expectancy is almost 10 years.
YOUNG
Gestation: 10 weeks
Number of young at birth: 1 to 8 (usually 3 or 4)
Weight at birth: 0.9 to 1.3 ounces (25 to 36 grams)
Age at maturity: 1.5 years
SIZE
Length: 9 to 11.5 inches (24 to 29 centimeters); females are slightly larger than males
Weight: 1.4 to 2.1 pounds (620 to 969 grams)
FUN FACTS
Meerkats are known for their daring diet: they are able to kill and eat venomous snakes and scorpions without being hurt, as they have some immunity to the venom.
Able to survive without drinking water, meerkats get the moisture they need from eating roots and tubers as well as fruit such as tsama melons.
The skeletal structure and teeth of meerkats and other mongooses closely resemble those of the earliest carnivores.
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Meerkat
Suricata suricatta
Meerkats are active carnivores that live in burrows in Africa. These social animals live in groups, called mobs, with as many as 30 individuals that keep watch and scare off predators or other meerkats.
Fact Sheet
Conservation
Physical Description
A member of the mongoose family, meerkats (also known as suricates) have grizzled gray and brown colored coats of fur with dark patches around their eyes, which help protect their eyes from the glare of the sun. They also have a dark tip on the tail. Meerkats have powerful foreclaws for digging. Their pointed snout helps enable them to excavate prey from narrow trenches.
Size
Meerkats' slender bodies are 10 to 14 inches (25 to 35 centimeters) long and their tails are almost as long as their bodies at 7 to 10 inches (18 to 25 centimeters).
Native Habitat
Meerkats live in southern Africa, including South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. They live in dry, open plains, savannas and grasslands.
Lifespan
Meerkats live for about 10 years in human care.
Communication
Meerkats are gregarious and have at least ten distinctive vocalizations. Females tend to be more vocal than males. Vocalizations include murmurs, threatening growls and spits, scolding clucks, and a defensive alarm bark.
Food/Eating Habits
Meerkats primarily eat insects, such as grubs and termites, but will also eat small vertebrates, eggs and some plant matter. They may chew on tsama melons and dig up roots for water. They are very possessive of their food and defend their prey from other members of their pack.
At the Smithsonian's National Zoo, they eat commercial carnivore meat mix, dry cat food, apples, root vegetables, mealworms, crickets and earthworms.
Sleep Habits
Meerkats are diurnal and spend most of their active time foraging, basking in the sun, and grooming.
Social Structure
Active and social animals, meerkats live in groups that can include as many as 30 individuals, although the average pack size is around ten to 15 individuals. Groups are called mobs, and each mob may consist of up to three families living together. Each family group consists of a breeding pair and their offspring. The family groups within a single mob tend to get along well together and there doesn't appear to be a linear hierarchy within the pack; however, females seem to be the dominant members of the mob. When a female reaches sexual maturity, she is usually banished from the family. The mob will band together in a large, hissing mass to intimidate predators or other mobs.
Reproduction and Development
In the wild, breeding generally takes place during the warm, rainy season—from August through March when food is most abundant—but may occur throughout the year. Males will fight with the females to initiate mating. The gestation period for meerkats is 11 weeks. They have two to five offspring in a litter. After three weeks, the young will first leave the burrows; they are weaned at six to nine weeks. By 2 months of age, the young meerkats look like adults. They reach sexual maturity at about 1 year of age. Fathers help guard the young and non-breeding individuals in the pack also help to care for the young.
Conservation Efforts
Meerkats are classified as least concern on IUCN's Red List. Related species listed on the IUCN Red List include the Indian brown mongoose and the Liberian mongoose, both of which are listed as vulnerable.
Fun Facts
One member of the group will act as a sentinel, on the lookout for predators. The sentry will stand on its hind legs, often using its tail as support, or perch in a bush or tree, scanning for danger. Individuals rotate sentinel duty throughout the day.
A group of meerkats is called a mob.
Conservation Status
lcLeast Concern
ntNear Threatened
vuVulnerable
enEndangered
crCritically Endangered
ewExtinct in the Wild
exExtinct
ddData Deficient
neNot Evaluated
Meerkat News
June 30, 2023
New at the Zoo: Meet Our Meerkat Pups
May 24, 2023
Meerkats Are Born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
August 26, 2021
Meerkat Dies at Smithsonian's National Zoo
July 31, 2020
Bringing the Zoo to You: July 2020
Taxonomic Information
Class: MammaliaOrder: CarnivoraFamily: HerpestidaeGenus and Species: Suricata suricatta
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