What type of environment do meerkats live in?
Meerkats live in the deserts and grasslands of the southern tip of Africa. They are super cute, with bushy, brown-striped fur, a small, pointed face and large eyes surrounded by dark patches. They average about 50 centimetres long, including their tail.
What do meerkats do for the environment?
That said, by no means should they be disregarded; they play an important part in maintaining ecological harmony in the desert. They provide food for predators like jackals and eagles, and they curb pest infestation by eating insects.
Where do the meerkats live?
Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and south-western Angola and in South Africa.
What temperature do meerkats live in?
Meerkat Distribution and Habitat Conditions in the Kalahari Desert are incredibly extreme with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Centigrade in the summer (with a sand temperature of 70 degrees), and falling to well below zero down to -10 degrees during the bitter, winter nights.
Can meerkats kill humans?
Humans, it turns out, are just average members of a particularly violent lot, the primates. About one in five meerkats (mostly infants) are killed by members of their own species, compared with just over one percent of humans whose deaths were linked to violence, whether murder or war.
Where does the meerkat live in the world?
The Meerkat is a small member of the mongoose family whose range extends from South West Angola to South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a ‘mob’, but also referred to as a ‘gang’ or a ‘clan’.
How are meerkats able to control their environment?
Humans are usually able to control their environment more than meerkats can. One defense tactic used by meerkat groups is to stand upright, puff up their fur, and band together. This forms an intimidating group. Meerkats cleverly defend themselves by stirring up dust (to hide) before they retreat to a bolthole, or temporary burrow.
What kind of body temperature does a meerkat have?
The meerkat has a specialised thermoregulation system that helps it survive in its harsh desert habitat. A study showed that its body temperature follows a diurnal rhythm, averaging 38.3 °C (100.9 °F) during the day and 36.3 °C (97.3 °F) at night.
What kind of food does a meerkat eat?
Meerkats will also share their burrows with beetles — a type of species they don’t have a taste for — that are content to eat any waste the meerkats leave behind. Meerkats enter and exit their burrows through several scattered holes in the ground.