Meerkats

Its 14 July 2007, I am blogging on a saturday morning about my weekend activity. Suddenly I get an idea about one of the TV shows I was once watching. I dont remember which day this show was broadcasted. Thinking its either saturday or sunday I am coming up with this post.

The show is called " Meerkat Manor " on Animal Planet. It showcasts about this wonderful animal. When I was watching this show regularly , it was all about a family or meerkats , how they would live as a part of family, how they would hunt for their food, how they would breed, how they protect themselves and their babies from predators.

Somehow these days I dont find enough time to watch Television, Animal Planet is far away. May be I am myself avoiding watching TV trying to bring in self discipline. I dont know . Anways this post is about Meerkats



Meerkat is a small mammal and a member of mongoose family. It is found in the deserts of South Africa. A meerkat might weigh 725 grams on an average. The meerkat uses its tail to balance while standing upright. The meerkat has small black crescent-shaped ears that can close when digging to keep sand out.

At the end of each of a meerkat's "fingers" is a non-retractable, strong, 2 cm (0.8 inches) long, curved claw used for digging their underground burrows and digging for prey. Claws are also used with muscular hindlegs to help them climb the occasional tree. Meerkats are primarily insectivores , but also eat lizards, spiders, ants eggs and small mammals .They are partially immune to certain venoms, and eat (after removing the stinger)

Meerkats are burrowing animals, living in large underground networks with multiple entrances which they leave only during the day. They are very social, living in colonies of up to about 30. Animals in the same group regularly groom each other to strengthen social bonds.