Meerkat
Amazing fact
Meerkats have been seen biting scorpions to disable them, then eating from the head.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Meerkats have been seen biting scorpions to disable them, then eating from the head.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Meerkat
- Scientific name
- Suricata suricatta
- Japanese name
- ミーアキャット
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Herpestidae
- Genus
- Suricata
It lives in southern Africa, digging burrows with many entrances and living in groups.
Group members take turns standing guard and warn the others when a predator approaches.
In the morning it comes out of its burrow, stands up straight and soaks up the sunlight.
How the Meerkat lives
It is active during the day, spending time foraging and grooming. It digs in the soil with its forefeet to find prey. During dry periods it may chew fruit and other plant material for moisture.
Smithsonian National ZooUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Head and body length: about 30 cm
- Diet
- Small animals such as insects and lizards, and plants
- Range
- South Africa, Angola, Namibia, and Botswana
Where the Meerkat has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ミーアキャット
- 简体中文
- 狐獴
- 繁體中文
- 狐獴
- 한국어
- 미어캣
- Español
- Suricata
- Français
- Suricate
- Deutsch
- Erdmännchen
- Português (Brasil)
- Suricato
- Italiano
- Suricato
- हिन्दी
- मीरकैट
- العربية
- سرقاط
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Mirkat
- Tiếng Việt
- Meerkat
- Русский
- Сурикат
- Türkçe
- Mirket
- ไทย
- เมียร์แคต
- বাংলা
- মিরক্যাট
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 井の頭自然文化園 — ミーアキャットChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Suricata suricattaChecked: 2026-11-03
- Smithsonian National Zoo — MeerkatChecked: 2026-11-05
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Meerkat, look for this
- Look at the dark patches around its eyes.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
Smithsonian National ZooEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Meerkat
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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Others in Carnivora
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