MEERKAT
— suricata suricatta majoriae
This subspecies has a sturdy body compared to other types of meerkat. Majoriae is found in western Namibia, where the landscape ranges from high dunes to rocky plains. The meerkat is a small carnivore belonging to the mongoose family (Herpestidae). It weighs on average 600—730g and has a long, slender body and limbs, a body length of 25—35cm and a tail length of 17—25cm. The tail is not bushy, like that of other mongoose species, but quite long and thin, and ends in a black tip.
The meerkat is mainly an insect eater that hunts for a variety of insects, scorpions, small birds and some small mammals, as well as eating bird and reptile eggs. They are immune to the poison of scorpions but have little resistance to snake venom.
Meerkats forage in gangs, with one individual standing guard, looking out for predators, while the others are looking for food. The guards take ‘shifts' of approximately one hour each, making a peeping sound all the while — called the Watchman's Song — to assure the others that someone is on the lookout. Pups do not start foraging for food on their own before they are about a month old, and then they are accompanied by an older member of the group who acts as a tutor.
A famous folk-tale in Zimbabwe and Zambia describes the meerkat as a ‘sun angel'. The ‘sun angel' is said to have been sent by the gods to protect villages, stray cattle and lone tribesmen from the ‘moon devil'.
Captured by: DANIE FERREIRA www.danieferreira.com
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