Meet the Meerkats

A meerkat’s tail is used for balance.  It is also an important behavioral marker.  If the tail is down, the meerkat is feeling submissive and calm.  The tail will be raised when the meerkat is excited or agitated, like when engaging in play or battle.  This little guy is on the hunt!

A day at the spa.

 Meerkats live and see refuge in tunnels underground with other family members.

Taking a break from digging with those awesome claws.

 Momma meerkats often give birth to litters of 2 to 4 offspring at a time.

Baby meerkats are born with pink noses.  Male noses will darken with age.  Female noses remain a little pink.

The dark circles that surround a meerkat’s eye, serve a dual purpose.  It isn’t for camouflaging wrinkles but for deflecting sunlight like natural sunglasses.  It also makes their eyes appear bigger and more ominous to scare away predators.  Doesn’t that stare look frightening!

Meerkats have cute tiny ears, but don’t let the size fool you.  They have fantastic hearing.

All grown up!