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How do you save a meerkat?
You can help meerkats by spreading awareness of their vital role in the Kalahari’s ecological balance. You can also support the Meerkat Magic Conservation Project, which uses funds raised through eco-tourism to subsidize landowners and farmers.
How does a meerkat protect itself?
Meerkats cleverly defend themselves by stirring up dust (to hide) before they retreat to a bolthole, or temporary burrow.
What can meerkats do?
Meerkats (also called suricates) work together in numbers. A few will typically serve as lookouts, watching the skies for birds of prey, such as hawks and eagles, that can snatch them from the ground.
How do meerkats adapt to their environment?
Many adaptations help meerkats live in their dry, dusty environment. Dark patches around their eyes help cut down on the sun’s glare. Long, horizontal pupils give them a wide range of vision for seeing predators. Meerkats have thin fur and dark skin on their stomachs that helps them control body temperature.
What’s the best way for a meerkat to defend itself?
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 does a babysitter do for a meerkat?
The babysitters’ main job is to protect pups from meerkats in rival mobs, who will kill the babies if they can. While the rest of the mob forages for food, one or more meerkats, called a sentry, will find a high point, like a termite mound, and perch on their back legs, scanning the sky and desert for predators like eagles, hawks, and jackals.
Why do meerkats live in burrows all the time?
Living underground keeps mob members safe from predators and out of the harsh African heat. These burrows can be 5 metres long and contain multiple entrances, tunnels, and rooms. A group will use up to five separate burrows at a time. Meerkats only go outside during the daytime.
How does a meerkat remove sand from its eyes?
Meerkats remove sand from their eyes by blinking. Between the eye and eye lid there is a white membrane called the nictitating membrane. This membrane acts as a windshield wiper and removes sand from their eyes with every blink. Meerkats have strong, non-retractable claws that measure 2 centimetres (0.8 inches) long.