A meerkat mob usually has several main burrow systems they rotate between throughout the year!
Meerkats - Facts for Kids
Did you know?
Search name of person, animal, place, thing, etc.
Share
Facts About Meerkats For Kids
Meerkat burrows help protect them from very large temperature swings on the surface.
Meerkats create special nursery chambers in their burrows for pups!
A meerkat’s territory must include areas with loose soil for digging and foraging!
Meerkats take turns standing on high spots — like a termite mound or a low tree — so they can watch out for danger while everyone else hunts!
During very hot weather, meerkats shift their activity to early morning and late afternoon!
Meerkats don’t usually sip water from a puddle — instead they get all (or almost all) the moisture they need from the insects, plants and roots they eat!
A meerkat mob will defend their territory against other mobs through elaborate displays and sometimes fights!
Life Cycle
Meerkat pups are born blind and hairless, weighing only about 1 ounce (25 grams)!
Baby meerkats open their eyes for the first time when they’re about 10–14 days old!
Meerkat pups start eating solid food when they’re about one month old!
In the best conditions, a meerkat mom can give birth up to four times in one year.
Young meerkats begin foraging with adults when they’re about one month old!
Meerkat pups drink their mother’s milk until about 7 to 9 weeks old, when they become fully weaned and start relying on solid food
A mother meerkat usually gives birth to 2 to 5 pups in each litter!
Baby meerkats stay inside their burrow for about 2 to 3 weeks before they start coming out for short adventures!
Young meerkats become fully independent at about 12 weeks of age!
Meerkat mothers are pregnant for about 11 weeks before giving birth!
Around three weeks old, meerkat pups begin trying solid food like insects while still drinking their mother’s milk!
Diet & Feeding
Meerkats can eat scorpions — they’ve learned to remove the sting and handle them carefully so the venom doesn’t hurt them!
Meerkats use their super-sensitive noses to sniff out insects and grubs hiding underground — then they dig them up with sharp claws!
Meerkats sometimes eat bird eggs they find on the ground!
Meerkats sometimes eat small birds that they catch on the ground!
Meerkats sometimes eat fruits and berries during the rainy season!
Conservation & Population
Meerkats are currently listed as “Least Concern” on the conservation status list!
There are estimated to be over 500,000 meerkats living in the wild!
Meerkats are always looking for danger — from above by eagles and hawks, and on the ground by clever predators like jackals!
Meerkats face threats from habitat loss, climate change, disease, and invasive animals.
