Meerkat - wikipedia Meerkat This article is about the mammal. For other uses, see Meerkat ( disambiguation ). `` Meerkats '' redirects here. For the 2008 British film, see The Meerkats. `` Suricata '' redirects here. For the intrusion detection system, see Suricata ( software ). Meerkat Temporal range : Pliocene. -- Recent PreЄ Є Pg ↓ A mob of meerkats at the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve in South Africa. Conservation status Least Concern ( IUCN 3.1 ) Scientific classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Mammalia Order : Carnivora Family : Herpestidae Genus : Suricata Desmarest, 1804 Species : S. suricatta Binomial name Suricata suricatta ( Schreber, 1776 ) Meerkat range The meerkat or suricate ( Suricata suricatta ) is a small carnivoran belonging to the mongoose family ( Herpestidae ). It is the only member of the genus Suricata. 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. A group of meerkats is called a `` mob '', `` gang '' or `` clan ''. A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some super-families have 50 or more members. In captivity, meerkats have an average life span of 12 -- 14 years, and about half this in the wild. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Taxonomy 3 Description 4 Diet and foraging behaviour 5 Predators 6 Reproduction 7 Behavior 7.1 Vocalization 8 Meerkats as pets 9 See also 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External links Etymology `` Meerkat '' is a loanword from Afrikaans ( pronounced ( ˈmɪərkat ) ). The name has a Dutch origin, but by misidentification. In Dutch, meerkat means the guenon, a monkey of the genus Cercopithecus. The word meerkat is Dutch for `` lake cat '', but although the suricata is a feliform, it is not of the cat family ; the word possibly started as a Dutch adaptation of a derivative of Sanskrit markaṭa मर्कट = `` ape '', perhaps in Africa via an Indian sailor on board a Dutch East India Company ship. In early literature, suricates were referred as mierkat. In colloquial Afrikaans, mier means termite, and kat means cat. It has been speculated that the name comes from their frequent association with termite mounds or the termites they eat. Taxonomy Three subspecies are currently recognized : Image Scientific name Common Name Distribution Suricata suricatta suricatta Southern African meerkat native to southern Namibia and Botswana, and South Africa. Suricata suricatta iona Angolan meerkat native to southwestern Angola. Suricata suricatta majoriae Desert meerkat native to the Namib desert and central and northwestern Namibia. Description Skull and dentition, as illustrated in Gervais ' Histoire naturelle des mammifères Skeleton at the Museum of Osteology The meerkat is a small diurnal herpestid ( mongoose ) weighing on average about 0.5 to 2.5 kilograms ( 1.1 to 5.5 lb ). Its long slender body and limbs give it a body length of 35 to 50 centimetres ( 14 to 20 in ) and an added tail length of around 25 centimetres ( 9.8 in ). The meerkat uses its tail to balance when standing upright, as well as for signaling. Its face tapers, coming to a point at the nose, which is brown. The eyes always have black patches around them, and they have small black crescent - shaped ears. Like cats, meerkats have binocular vision, their eyes being on the front of their faces. Closeup of forefeet at the Knie 's Kinderzoo, Rapperswil, Switzerland At the end of each of a meerkat 's `` fingers '' is a claw used for digging burrows and digging for prey. Claws are also used with muscular hindlegs to help climb trees. Meerkats have four toes on each foot and long slender limbs. The coat is usually peppered gray, tan, or brown with silver. They have short parallel stripes across their backs, extending from the base of the tail to the shoulders. The patterns of stripes are unique to each meerkat. The underside of the meerkat has no markings, but the belly has a patch which is only sparsely covered with hair and shows the black skin underneath. The meerkat uses this area to absorb heat while standing on its rear legs, usually early in the morning after cold desert nights. Diet and foraging behaviour Meerkat killing an elephant shrew, as illustrated in Brehm 's Life of Animals Meerkat digging for insects Meerkat eating a frog Meerkats are primarily insectivores, but also eat other animals ( lizards, snakes, scorpions, spiders, eggs, small mammals, millipedes, centipedes and, more rarely, small birds ), plants and fungi ( the desert truffle Kalaharituber pfeilii ). Meerkats are immune to certain types of venom, including the very strong venom of the scorpions of the Kalahari Desert. Baby meerkats do not start foraging for food until they are about 1 month old, and do so by following an older member of the group who acts as the pup 's tutor. Meerkats forage in a group with one `` sentry '' on guard watching for predators while the others search for food. Sentry duty is usually approximately an hour long. The meerkat standing guard makes peeping sounds when all is well. A meerkat has the ability to dig through a quantity of sand equal to its own weight in just seconds. Digging is done to create burrows, to get food and also to create dust clouds to distract predators. Predators Martial eagles, tawny eagles and jackals are the main predators of meerkats. Meerkats sometimes die of snakebite in confrontations with snakes ( puff adders and Cape cobras ). Reproduction Meerkats become sexually mature at about two years of age and can have one to four pups in a litter, with three pups being the most common litter size. Meerkats are iteroparous and can reproduce any time of the year. The pups are allowed to leave the burrow at two to three weeks old. There is no precopulatory display ; the male may fight with the female until she submits to him and copulation begins. Gestation lasts approximately 11 weeks and the young are born within the underground burrow and are altricial ( undeveloped ). The young 's ears open at about 10 days of age, and their eyes at 10 -- 14 days. They are weaned around 49 to 63 days. Usually, the alpha pair reserves the right to mate and normally kills any young not its own, to ensure that its offspring have the best chance of survival. The dominant couple may also evict, or kick out the mothers of the offending offspring. New meerkat groups are often formed by evicted females joining a group of males. Females appear to be able to discriminate the odour of their kin from the odour of their non-kin. Kin recognition is a useful ability that facilitates cooperation among relatives and the avoidance of inbreeding. When mating does occur between meerkat relatives, it often results in negative fitness consequences or inbreeding depression. Inbreeding depression was evident for a variety of traits : pup mass at emergence from the natal burrow, hind - foot length, growth until independence and juvenile survival. These negative effects are likely due to the increased homozygosity that arises from inbreeding and the consequent expression of deleterious recessive mutations. The avoidance of inbreeding and the promotion of outcrossing allow the masking of deleterious recessive mutations. ( Also see Complementation ( genetics ). ) Behavior Meerkats are small burrowing animals, living in large underground networks with multiple entrances which they leave only during the day, except to avoid the heat of the afternoon. They are very social creatures and they live in colonies together. Animals in the same group groom each other regularly. The alpha pair often scent - mark subordinates of the group to express their authority. There may be up to 30 meerkats in a group. To look out for predators, one or more meerkats stand sentry, to warn others of approaching dangers. When a predator is spotted, the meerkat performing as sentry gives a warning bark or whistle, and other members of the group run and hide in one of the many holes they have spread across their territory. Meerkats also babysit the young in the group. Females that have never produced offspring of their own often lactate to feed the alpha pair 's young. They also protect the young from threats, often endangering their own lives. On warning of danger, the babysitter takes the young underground to safety and is prepared to defend them if the danger follows. Meerkats are also known to share their burrow with the yellow mongoose and ground squirrel. Like many species, meerkat young learn by observing and mimicking adult behaviour, though adults also engage in active instruction. For example, meerkat adults teach their pups how to eat a venomous scorpion : they will remove the stinger and help the pup learn how to handle the creature. Despite this altruistic behaviour, meerkats sometimes kill young members of their group. Subordinate meerkats have been seen killing the offspring of more senior members in order to improve their own offspring 's position. When colonies are exposed to human presence for a long time, they will become habituated, which allows for documentation of their natural behavior. It is not unusual for camera crews, who must largely stay still for long periods while filming, to be utilized as convenient sentry posts. Vocalization Meerkat calls may carry specific meanings, with particular calls indicating the type of predator and the urgency of the situation. In addition to alarm calls, meerkats also make panic calls, recruitment calls, and moving calls. They chirrup, trill, growl, or bark, depending on the circumstances. Meerkats make different alarm calls depending upon whether they see an aerial or a terrestrial predator. Moreover, acoustic characteristics of the call will change with the urgency of the potential predatory episode. Therefore, six different predatory alarm calls with six different meanings have been identified : aerial predator with low, medium, and high urgency ; and terrestrial predator with low, medium, and high urgency. Meerkats respond differently after hearing a terrestrial predator alarm call than after hearing an aerial predator alarm call. For example, upon hearing a high - urgency terrestrial predator alarm call, meerkats are most likely to seek shelter and scan the area. On the other hand, upon hearing a high - urgency aerial predator alarm call, meerkats are most likely to crouch down. On many occasions under these circumstances, they also look towards the sky. Meerkats as pets This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. ( April 2018 ) Meerkats, being wild animals, make poor pets. They can be aggressive, especially toward guests and they may also bite. They will scent - mark their owner and the house ( their `` territory '' ). See also Kalahari Meerkat Project, a long - term research project Meerkats in popular culture The Meerkats, a 2008 documentary feature film References Jump up ^ `` Fossilworks : Suricata suricatta ''. fossilworks.org. Retrieved 14 April 2018. 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Southern Africa Safari. Author House. p. 47. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4817 - 1258 - 3. Jump up ^ Kalat, James ( 2015 ). Biological Psychology. Cengage Learning. p. 113. ISBN 978 - 1 - 305 - 46529 - 9. Jump up ^ Ganeri, Anita ( 2011 ). Meerkat. Heinemann Library. p. 19. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4329 - 4773 - 6. ^ Jump up to : Moore, Heidi ( 2004 ). A Mob of Meerkats. Heinemann Library. p. 15. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4034 - 4694 - 7. Jump up ^ Thornton, Alex ; McAuliffe, Katherine ( 2006 ). `` Teaching in wild meerkats ''. Science. 313 ( 5784 ) : 227 -- 229. doi : 10.1126 / science. 1128727. PMID 16840701. Jump up ^ Norris, Scott ( 15 March 2006 ). `` Murderous meerkat moms contradict caring image, study finds ''. National Geographic News. Retrieved 25 May 2012. Jump up ^ `` Planet Earth Live -- BBC One ''. http://www.bbc.co.uk/planetearthlive. www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2018. External link in website = ( help ) Jump up ^ Manser, Marta ; Fletcher, Lindsay ( 2004 ). `` Vocalize to localize : A test on functionally referential alarm calls ''. Interaction Studies. 5 ( 3 ) : 327 -- 344. doi : 10.1075 / is. 5.3. 02man. Jump up ^ Manser, Marta B. ; Bell, Matthew B. ; Fletcher, Lindsay B. ( 7 December 2001 ). `` The information that receivers extract from alarm calls in suricates ''. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 268 ( 1484 ). doi : 10.1098 / rspb. 2001.1772. PMC 1088904. Jump up ^ `` Meerkat adverts lead to surge in unwanted pets ''. BBC. 2 June 2010. Jump up ^ `` Meerkat info ''. meerkats.net. Retrieved 24 October 2011. Further reading David Macdonald ( Photography by Nigel Dennis ) : Meerkats. London : New Holland Publishers, 1999. `` Meerkat pups go to eating school ''. BBC News. 13 July 2006. van Staaden, Moira J. ( 1994 ). `` Suricata suricatta '' ( PDF ). Mammalian Species. American Society of Mammalogists ( 483 ) : 6. doi : 10.2307 / 3504085. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 15 March 2016. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Suricata suricatta. Wikispecies has information related to Suricata suricatta Animal Diversity -- Meerkat, University of Michigan Meerkat enquiries on the increase -- BBC Nottingham Extant Carnivora species Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Mammalia Infraclass : Eutheria Superorder : Laurasiatheria Suborder Feliformia Nandiniidae Nandinia African palm civet ( N. binotata ) Herpestidae ( Mongooses ) Atilax Marsh mongoose ( A. paludinosus ) Bdeogale Bushy - tailed mongoose ( B. crassicauda ) Jackson 's mongoose ( B. jacksoni ) Black - footed mongoose ( B. nigripes ) Crossarchus Alexander 's kusimanse ( C. alexandri ) Angolan kusimanse ( C. ansorgei ) Common kusimanse ( C. obscurus ) Flat - headed kusimanse ( C. platycephalus ) Cynictis Yellow mongoose ( C. penicillata ) Dologale Pousargues 's mongoose ( D. dybowskii ) Galerella Angolan slender mongoose ( G. flavescens ) Black mongoose ( G. nigrata ) Somalian slender mongoose ( G. ochracea ) Cape gray mongoose ( G. pulverulenta ) Slender mongoose ( G. sanguinea ) Helogale Ethiopian dwarf mongoose ( H. hirtula ) Common dwarf mongoose ( H. parvula ) Herpestes Short - tailed mongoose ( H. brachyurus ) Indian gray mongoose ( H. edwardsii ) Indian brown mongoose ( H. fuscus ) Egyptian mongoose ( H. ichneumon ) Small Asian mongoose ( H. javanicus ) Long - nosed mongoose ( H. naso ) Collared mongoose ( H. semitorquatus ) Ruddy mongoose ( H. smithii ) Crab - eating mongoose ( H. urva ) Stripe - necked mongoose ( H. vitticollis ) Ichneumia White - tailed mongoose ( I. albicauda ) Liberiictus Liberian mongoose ( L. kuhni ) Mungos Gambian mongoose ( M. gambianus ) Banded mongoose ( M. mungo ) Paracynictis Selous ' mongoose ( P. selousi ) Rhynchogale Meller 's mongoose ( R. melleri ) Suricata Meerkat ( S. suricatta ) Hyaenidae ( Hyenas ) Crocuta Spotted hyena ( C. crocuta ) Hyaena Brown hyena ( H. brunnea ) Striped hyena ( H. hyaena ) Proteles Aardwolf ( P. cristatus ) Felidae Large family listed below Viverridae Large family listed below Eupleridae Small family listed below Family Felidae Felinae Acinonyx Cheetah ( A. jubatus ) Caracal Caracal ( C. caracal ) African golden cat ( C. aurata ) Catopuma Bay cat ( C. badia ) Asian golden cat ( C. temminckii ) Felis European wildcat ( F. silvestris ) African wildcat ( F. lybica ) Jungle cat ( F. chaus ) Black - footed cat ( F. nigripes ) Sand cat ( F. margarita ) Chinese mountain cat ( F. bieti ) Domestic cat ( F. catus ) Leopardus Ocelot ( L. pardalis ) Margay ( L. wiedii ) Pampas cat ( L. colocola ) Geoffroy 's cat ( L. geoffroyi ) Kodkod ( L. guigna ) Andean mountain cat ( L. jacobita ) Oncilla ( L. tigrinus ) Southern tigrina ( L. guttulus ) Leptailurus Serval ( L. serval ) Lynx Canadian lynx ( L. canadensis ) Eurasian lynx ( L. lynx ) Iberian lynx ( L. pardinus ) Bobcat ( L. rufus ) Otocolobus Pallas 's cat ( O. manul ) Pardofelis Marbled cat ( P. marmorata ) Prionailurus Fishing cat ( P. viverrinus ) Leopard cat ( P. bengalensis ) Sundaland leopard cat ( P. javanensis ) Flat - headed cat ( P. planiceps ) Rusty - spotted cat ( P. rubiginosus ) Puma Cougar ( P. concolor ) Herpailurus Jaguarundi ( H. yagouaroundi ) Pantherinae Panthera Lion ( P. leo ) Jaguar ( P. onca ) Leopard ( P. pardus ) Tiger ( P. tigris ) Snow leopard ( P. uncia ) Neofelis Clouded leopard ( N. nebulosa ) Sunda clouded leopard ( N. diardi ) Family Viverridae ( includes Civets ) Paradoxurinae Arctictis Binturong ( A. binturong ) Arctogalidia Small - toothed palm civet ( A. trivirgata ) Macrogalidia Sulawesi palm civet ( M. musschenbroekii ) Paguma Masked palm civet ( P. larvata ) Paradoxurus Golden wet - zone palm civet ( P. aureus ) Asian palm civet ( P. hermaphroditus ) Jerdon 's palm civet ( P. jerdoni ) Golden palm civet ( P. zeylonensis ) Hemigalinae Chrotogale Owston 's palm civet ( C. owstoni ) Cynogale Otter civet ( C. bennettii ) Diplogale Hose 's palm civet ( D. hosei ) Hemigalus Banded palm civet ( H. derbyanus ) Prionodontinae ( Asiatic linsangs ) Prionodon Banded linsang ( P. linsang ) Spotted linsang ( P. pardicolor ) Viverrinae Civettictis African civet ( C. civetta ) Genetta ( Genets ) Abyssinian genet ( G. abyssinica ) Angolan genet ( G. angolensis ) Bourlon 's genet ( G. bourloni ) Crested servaline genet ( G. cristata ) Common genet ( G. genetta ) Johnston 's genet ( G. johnstoni ) Rusty - spotted genet ( G. maculata ) Pardine genet ( G. pardina ) Aquatic genet ( G. piscivora ) King genet ( G. poensis ) Servaline genet ( G. servalina ) Haussa genet ( G. thierryi ) Cape genet ( G. tigrina ) Giant forest genet ( G. victoriae ) Poiana African linsang ( P. richardsonii ) Leighton 's linsang ( P. leightoni ) Viverra Malabar large - spotted civet ( V. civettina ) Large - spotted civet ( V. megaspila ) Malayan civet ( V. tangalunga ) Large Indian civet ( V. zibetha ) Viverricula Small Indian civet ( V. indica ) Family Eupleridae Euplerinae Cryptoprocta Fossa ( C. ferox ) Eupleres Eastern falanouc ( E. goudotii ) Western falanouc ( E. major ) Fossa Malagasy civet ( F. fossana ) Galidiinae Galidia Ring - tailed mongoose ( G. elegans ) Galidictis Broad - striped Malagasy mongoose ( G. fasciata ) Grandidier 's mongoose ( G. grandidieri ) Mungotictis Narrow - striped mongoose ( M. decemlineata ) Salanoia Brown - tailed mongoose ( S. concolor ) Durrell 's vontsira ( S. durrelli ) Suborder Caniformia ( cont. below ) Ursidae ( Bears ) Ailuropoda Giant panda ( A. melanoleuca ) Helarctos Sun bear ( H. malayanus ) Melursus Sloth bear ( M. ursinus ) Tremarctos Spectacled bear ( T. ornatus ) Ursus American black bear ( U. americanus ) Brown bear ( U. arctos ) Polar bear ( U. maritimus ) Asian black bear ( U. thibetanus ) Mephitidae Conepatus ( Hog - nosed skunks ) Molina 's hog - nosed skunk ( C. chinga ) Humboldt 's hog - nosed skunk ( C. humboldtii ) American hog - nosed skunk ( C. leuconotus ) Striped hog - nosed skunk ( C. semistriatus ) Mephitis Hooded skunk ( M. macroura ) Striped skunk ( M. mephitis ) Mydaus Sunda stink badger ( M. javanensis ) Palawan stink badger ( M. marchei ) Spilogale ( Spotted skunks ) Southern spotted skunk ( S. angustifrons ) Western spotted skunk ( S. gracilis ) Eastern spotted skunk ( S. putorius ) Pygmy spotted skunk ( S. pygmaea ) Procyonidae Bassaricyon ( Olingos ) Eastern lowland olingo ( B. alleni ) Northern olingo ( B. gabbii ) Western lowland olingo ( B. medius ) Olinguito ( B. neblina ) Bassariscus Ring - tailed cat ( B. astutus ) Cacomistle ( B. sumichrasti ) Nasua ( Coatis inclusive ) White - nosed coati ( N. narica ) South American coati ( N. nasua ) Nasuella ( Coatis inclusive ) Western mountain coati ( N. olivacea ) Eastern mountain coati ( N. meridensis ) Potos Kinkajou ( P. flavus ) Procyon Crab - eating raccoon ( P. cancrivorus ) Raccoon ( P. lotor ) Cozumel raccoon ( P. pygmaeus ) Ailuridae Ailurus Red panda ( A. fulgens ) Suborder Caniformia ( cont. above ) Otariidae ( Eared seals ) ( includes fur seals and sea lions ) ( Pinniped inclusive ) Arctocephalus South American fur seal ( A. australis ) Australasian fur seal ( A. forsteri ) Galápagos fur seal ( A. galapagoensis ) Antarctic fur seal ( A. gazella ) Juan Fernández fur seal ( A. philippii ) Brown fur seal ( A. pusillus ) Guadalupe fur seal ( A. townsendi ) Subantarctic fur seal ( A. tropicalis ) Callorhinus Northern fur seal ( C. ursinus ) Eumetopias Steller sea lion ( E. jubatus ) Neophoca Australian sea lion ( N. cinerea ) Otaria South American sea lion ( O. flavescens ) Phocarctos New Zealand sea lion ( P. hookeri ) Zalophus California sea lion ( Z. californianus ) Galápagos sea lion ( Z. wollebaeki ) Odobenidae ( Pinniped inclusive ) Odobenus Walrus ( O. rosmarus ) Phocidae ( Earless seals ) ( Pinniped inclusive ) Cystophora Hooded seal ( C. cristata ) Erignathus Bearded seal ( E. barbatus ) Halichoerus Gray seal ( H. grypus ) Histriophoca Ribbon seal ( H. fasciata ) Hydrurga Leopard seal ( H. leptonyx ) Leptonychotes Weddell seal ( L. weddellii ) Lobodon Crabeater seal ( L. carcinophagus ) Mirounga ( Elephant seals ) Northern elephant seal ( M. angustirostris ) Southern elephant seal ( M. leonina ) Monachus Mediterranean monk seal ( M. monachus ) Hawaiian monk seal ( M. schauinslandi ) Ommatophoca Ross seal ( O. rossi ) Pagophilus Harp seal ( P. groenlandicus ) Phoca Spotted seal ( P. largha ) Harbor seal ( P. vitulina ) Pusa Caspian seal ( P. caspica ) Ringed seal ( P. hispida ) Baikal seal ( P. sibirica ) Canidae Large family listed below Mustelidae Large family listed below Family Canidae ( includes dogs ) Atelocynus Short - eared dog ( A. microtis ) Canis Side - striped jackal ( C. adustus ) African golden wolf ( C. anthus ) Golden jackal ( C. aureus ) Coyote ( C. latrans ) Gray wolf ( C. lupus ) Black - backed jackal ( C. mesomelas ) Red wolf ( C. rufus ) Ethiopian wolf ( C. simensis ) Cerdocyon Crab - eating fox ( C. thous ) Chrysocyon Maned wolf ( C. brachyurus ) Cuon Dhole ( C. alpinus ) Lycalopex Culpeo ( L. culpaeus ) Darwin 's fox ( L. fulvipes ) South American gray fox ( L. griseus ) Pampas fox ( L. gymnocercus ) Sechuran fox ( L. sechurae ) Hoary fox ( L. vetulus ) Lycaon African wild dog ( L. pictus ) Nyctereutes Raccoon dog ( N. procyonoides ) Otocyon Bat - eared fox ( O. megalotis ) Speothos Bush dog ( S. venaticus ) Urocyon Gray fox ( U. cinereoargenteus ) Island fox ( U. littoralis ) Vulpes ( Foxes ) Bengal fox ( V. bengalensis ) Blanford 's fox ( V. cana ) Cape fox ( V. chama ) Corsac fox ( V. corsac ) Tibetan sand fox ( V. ferrilata ) Arctic fox ( V. lagopus ) Kit fox ( V. macrotis ) Pale fox ( V. pallida ) Rüppell 's fox ( V. rueppelli ) Swift fox ( V. velox ) Red fox ( V. vulpes ) Fennec fox ( V. zerda ) Family Mustelidae Lutrinae ( Otters ) Aonyx African clawless otter ( A. capensis ) Oriental small - clawed otter ( A. cinerea ) Enhydra Sea otter ( E. lutris ) Hydrictis Spotted - necked otter ( H. maculicollis ) Lontra North American river otter ( L. canadensis ) Marine otter ( L. felina ) Neotropical otter ( L. longicaudis ) Southern river otter ( L. provocax ) Lutra Eurasian otter ( L. lutra ) Hairy - nosed otter ( L. sumatrana ) Lutrogale Smooth - coated otter ( L. perspicillata ) Pteronura Giant otter ( P. brasiliensis ) Mustelinae ( including badgers ) Arctonyx Hog badger ( A. collaris ) Eira Tayra ( E. barbara ) Galictis Lesser grison ( G. cuja ) Greater grison ( G. vittata ) Gulo Wolverine ( G. gulo ) Ictonyx Saharan striped polecat ( I. libyca ) Striped polecat ( I. striatus ) Lyncodon Patagonian weasel ( L. patagonicus ) Martes ( Martens ) American marten ( M. americana ) Yellow - throated marten ( M. flavigula ) Beech marten ( M. foina ) Nilgiri marten ( M. gwatkinsii ) European pine marten ( M. martes ) Japanese marten ( M. melampus ) Sable ( M. zibellina ) Pekania Fisher ( P. pennanti ) Meles Japanese badger ( M. anakuma ) Asian badger ( M. leucurus ) European badger ( M. meles ) Mellivora Honey badger ( M. capensis ) Melogale ( Ferret - badgers ) Bornean ferret - badger ( M. everetti ) Chinese ferret - badger ( M. moschata ) Javan ferret - badger ( M. orientalis ) Burmese ferret - badger ( M. personata ) Mustela ( Weasels and Ferrets ) Amazon weasel ( M. africana ) Mountain weasel ( M. altaica ) Stoat ( M. erminea ) Steppe polecat ( M. eversmannii ) Colombian weasel ( M. felipei ) Long - tailed weasel ( M. frenata ) Japanese weasel ( M. itatsi ) Yellow - bellied weasel ( M. kathiah ) European mink ( M. lutreola ) Indonesian mountain weasel ( M. lutreolina ) Black - footed ferret ( M. nigripes ) Least weasel ( M. nivalis ) Malayan weasel ( M. nudipes ) European polecat ( M. putorius ) Siberian weasel ( M. sibirica ) Back - striped weasel ( M. strigidorsa ) Egyptian weasel ( M. subpalmata ) Neovison ( Minks ) American mink ( N. vison ) Poecilogale African striped weasel ( P. albinucha ) Taxidea American badger ( T. taxus ) Vormela Marbled polecat ( V. peregusna ) Eusociality Topics Evolution of eusociality Presociality Social insects Gamergate Group selection Haplodiploidy Identity in social insects Kin recognition Kin selection Sexual selection in social insects Thelytoky Worker policing Groups Hymenoptera Ant Apidae Crabronidae Halictidae Honey bee Vespidae Mammalia Blesmol Dwarf mongoose Meerkat Crustacea Synalpheus Thysanoptera Kladothrips Hemiptera Aphididae Coleoptera Austroplatypus incompertus Isoptera In culture Bee ( mythology ) Pioneers, works Karl von Frisch The Dancing Bees 1927 Charles Duncan Michener The Bees of the World 2000 E.O. Wilson The Ants 1990 Sociobiology : The New Synthesis 1975 Mammals portal Animals portal Biology portal Taxon identifiers Wikidata : Q134015 Wikispecies : Suricata suricatta ADW : Suricata_suricatta ARKive : suricata - suricatta EoL : 311580 EPPO : SURITE Fossilworks : 232149 GBIF : 2434126 iNaturalist : 41943 IRMNG : 11244376 ITIS : 621906 IUCN : 41624 MSW : 14000678 NCBI : 37032 LCCN : sh92000380 NDL : 00577317 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Meerkat&oldid=856839077 '' Categories : IUCN Red List least concern species Mongooses of Sub-Saharan Africa Mammals of Southern Africa Matriarchism among animals Mammals described in 1776 Hidden categories : CS1 errors : external links Use dmy dates from February 2015 Articles with ' species ' microformats Articles to be expanded from April 2018 All articles to be expanded Articles using small message boxes Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with NDL identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikispecies Afrikaans Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Cebuano Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Diné bizaad Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ქართული Қазақша Лакку Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Nordfriisk Norsk Norsk nynorsk Nouormand Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Slovenčina Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Удмурт Українська Tiếng Việt Winaray Zazaki 中文 63 more Edit links This page was last edited on 27 August 2018, at 21 : 03 ( UTC ). 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Question: what do you call a group of meerkats
Answer: a "mob", "gang" or "clan"