Animal Gallery
Slender-tailed Meerkat |
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Slender-tailed Meerkats are members of the mongoose family and are social animals, living in colonies of up to 30 individuals. They have different roles in the group: teachers, hunters, babysitters, and sentries.
Dark blotches around the eyes of Slender-tailed Meerkats act as sunglasses, protecting their vision in harsh sunlight. They are very adapted to digging burrows in the hard ground. Their front feet have long, powerful claws for moving earth and their ears fold back to keep out the dirt. A group of Meerkats can travel up to 6.4 km (4 miles) in a single day looking for food and they have at least 10 different calls, including a threatening growl and alarm barks. While looking for good, group members will stay in touch with each other by making soft murmuring sounds. |
Did you know?
Slender-tailed Meerkats have a natural immunity to venom that allows them to eat scorpions and poisonous snakes. At the Zoo -
We have 2 Slender-tailed Meerkats. |
