SPECIES
Meerkat
Suricata suricatta
In the Kalahari, small sentinels take turns scanning the horizon while their relatives forage.
Social groups share babysitting and vigilance; alarm calls help respond to different dangers.
They dig for insects and other small prey, linking arid soils to predators and food webs.
Arid open habitats of southern Africa.
Where does a meerkat live?
Arid open habitats of southern Africa.
Worth knowing
- Adaptation Social groups share babysitting and vigilance; alarm calls help respond to different dangers.
- Ecological role They dig for insects and other small prey, linking arid soils to predators and food webs.
- Home Arid open habitats of southern Africa.
How it survives
Social groups share babysitting and vigilance; alarm calls help respond to different dangers.
In the Kalahari, small sentinels take turns scanning the horizon while their relatives forage.
Why relationships matter
They dig for insects and other small prey, linking arid soils to predators and food webs.
Where it lives
Arid open habitats of southern Africa.
Pressures and responses
Local drought, habitat conversion and human disturbance.
Maintain open habitat mosaics and prevent harmful human contact with wild colonies.
Sources
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology — Animal Diversity Web, Suricata suricatta
- GBIF — Suricata suricatta accepted taxon
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers — Meerkat
- Smithsonian National Zoo — Meerkat
Records of where it has been seen come live from GBIF; observed interactions from GloBI. Draft — not yet reviewed by a person.