Friday Facts: The Meerkat

Above: photo of a Meerkat on the lookout taken at the Minnesota Zoo

Fact file:

• Meerkats have an average life span of 12-14 years.
• A group of meerkats is called a “mob”, “gang”, or “clan”.
• The Meerkat is  a member of the mongoose family.
• The average Meerkat weighs only 1.6 pounds.
• Meerkats are insectivores, but also eat lizards, snakes, plants, eggs, and small mammals.
• They are partially immune to certain venoms, namely the scorpion which also makes up part of their diet.
• Meerkats have been witnessed standing on one another’s shoulders in order to gather honey from nearby trees.
• There can be from 1 to 5 pups in a litter, with 3 pups being the average.
• They live in colonies averaging 20-30 members.

Take the Meerkat Quiz