- Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa.
- They have grizzled grey and brown coloured coats of fur with dark patches around their eyes, these black rings of fur enable meerkats to see efficiently in bright sunlight
- The meerkat is slender and has a pointed little face and tiny ears
- The meerkat uses its long and thin tail to balance when standing vertically
- Meerkats are highly social, living in groups of up to 30 members. Generally, the members of a group are all related.
- They dig burrows up to three metres deep into the earth for the whole family
- While pack members are feeding, at least one of the mob will be on guard, standing on its back legs and watching for predators such as eagles, foxes or jackals
- They forage five to eight hours per day, spaced one to five metres apart while softly vocalizing to maintain contact
- They are omnivores. Diet consists of worms, crickets, centipedes, millipedes, grasshoppers, beetles, spiders, scorpions, small rodents, lizards, small snakes, birds, eggs, and ant larvae, fruit, tubers, and roots.
- Meerkats have a lifespan of up to ten years
