A small mongoose weights about 731 grams for males and 720 grams for females.. Having a long slender body length of 25 - 35 cm and a long tail of 17 - 25 cm. Tail helps in balancing. Tips of their fingers have curved claws used for digging burrows. They can dig through sand equal to their own body weight in just seconds. Claws also help in climbing trees.
Habitat : Meerkats live in Botswana, Namibia, Southwestern Angola and South Africa.
Food : Meerkats are insectivorous but also eat lizards, snakes, scorpions, spiders, eggs and small mammals.
Reproduction : Meerkats sexually mature at about one year of age. Meerkats are iteroparous and gestation lasts for 11 weeks.
Average life span of a Meerkat is about 12 - 14 years.
Social behaviour : They are very social, living in colonies. When in groups they are called a mob, gang or clan. About 20 meerkats form a clan.
Meerkats demonstrate altruistic behaviour within their colonies. One meerkat stands sentary while other are foraging or playing. Sentary guard searching for predators. Its duty is usually for an hour. On arrival of a dangers sentary barks and whistles loudly so that other members can run and hide in holes.
Animals in a group regularly groom each other to strengthen social bonds. Meerkats have also been known to engage in other social activities what appear to be wrestling matches and foot race. Young learn by observing or mimicking adult behaviors.
Meerkat make very poor pets.
source:
0 comments:
Post a Comment