page_title: Meerkat
section_title: Diet
hierarchical_section_title: Meerkat / Ecology and behaviour / Diet
caption_attribution_description: English: Meerkat in Namibia, eating a frogDeutsch: Erdmännchen in Namibia, einen Frosch verspeisendEspañol: Suricata en Namibia, comiendo una ranaFrançais&#160;: Suricate en la Namibie, mangeant une grenouille
context_page_description: The meerkat or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body length is around 24–35 cm, and the weight is typically between 0.62 and 0.97 kg. The coat is light grey to yellowish brown with alternate, poorly defined light and dark bands on the back. Meerkats have foreclaws adapted for digging and have the ability to thermoregulate to survive in their harsh, dry habitat. Three subspecies are recognised.
  Meerkats are eusocial, and form packs of two to 30 individuals each that occupy home ranges around 5 km² large. There is a social hierarchy—generally dominant individuals in a pack breed and produce offspring, and the nonbreeding, subordinate members provide altruistic care to the pups. They live in rock crevices in stony, often calcareous areas and in large burrow systems in plains. The burrow systems, typically 5 m in diameter with around 15 openings, are large underground networks consisting of two to three levels of tunnels. These tunnels are around 7.5 cm high at the top and wider below, and extend up to 1.5 m into the ground.
context_section_description: The meerkat is primarily an insectivore, feeding heavily on beetles and lepidopterans; it can additionally feed on eggs, amphibians, arthropods (such as scorpions, to whose venom they are immune), reptiles, small birds (such as the southern anteater-chat), plants and seeds. Captive meerkats include plenty of fruits and vegetables in their diet, and also kill small mammals by biting the backs of their skulls. They have also been observed feeding on the desert truffle Kalaharituber pfeilii. Meerkats often eat citron melons and dig out roots and tubers for their water content.
  Mongooses spend nearly five to eight hours foraging everyday. Like other social mongooses, meerkats in a pack will disperse within 5 m (16 ft) of one another and browse systematically in areas within their home range without losing visual or vocal contact. Some individuals stand sentry while the rest are busy foraging. Meerkats return to an area only after a week of the last visit so that the food supply is replenished sufficiently. They hunt by scent, and often dig out soil or turn over stones to uncover hidden prey. Meerkats typically do not give chase to their prey, though they may pursue geckos and lizards over several metres. Food intake is typically low during winter.
caption: Eating a frog
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