Which zoos have meerkats

The meerkat or slender-tailed suricate is a member of the mongoose family native to Southern Africa. They live within a large underground network of burrows with multiple entrances which they leave only during the day. The group has a dominant alpha male and female. It is normally only the alpha male and female who will produce pups. The alpha female will kill any pups which are not her own.

The gestation period is around 77 days the female usually gives birth, underground, to pups. The other females will help raise the pups. Meerkats are mainly insectivores insect feeders , but will also eat millipedes and centipedes, lizards, snakes, eggs, small mammals and more rarely, small birds. Back to Venue Hire. Home Explore the zoo Meerkats Meerkats Suricata suricatta. Meerkats Meet our mischievous mob of meerkats. For a truly unique gift - whilst contributing to our conservation fund - click here to adopt Meerkat Lookout is kindly sponsored by Bristol Sport.

Conservation The slender-tailed meerkat is not currently endangered in the wild. Did you know Animal Gallery. Share This Page. You May Also Like. Pre-book your timed tickets now Book now. Become a member! Still not found what you're looking for? The dominant female can have several litters a year, but usually she has babies, called pups, during times when there is plenty of food, which is generally during the rainy season November through March.

Pups are born with eyes and ears shut and are mostly hairless at birth. Their eyes open after two weeks, and pups start eating food other than milk at three weeks.

When they are four weeks old, the pups first venture out of their den. They are weaned by nine weeks. Young meerkats do not know what kind of food to eat, so their mother or another adult teaches them. Mom brings home whole food such as an insect or lizard and leaps around in front of the pups until they take the food from her mouth.

She even brings home scorpions with their tails bitten off, so the young can learn how to kill them without getting hurt.

In addition to taking turns as guard, meerkats also share the duty of raising the pups and teaching them how to hide, hunt, clean, and defend all that is theirs. The mother needs to spend time foraging to supply her pups with milk, so other females and males stay behind to care for and protect her young.

The mob may sometimes decide to move to a different burrow, and these "babysitters" help transport the pups, carrying them by the scruff of the neck.

The pups spend most of their time playing, and both pups and adults are very vocal. They make a peeping sound when playing, which rises to a louder twitter when they are excited, and purr when content. The more babysitters there are in a mob, the greater the survival rate for the pups. Fortunately for meerkats, they seem to be doing all right in their native habitat. Yet movies and television shows have brought meerkats lots of attention, with many people wondering if they can have a meerkat as a pet.

Although they may look cute, meerkats—like all wildlife—do not make good pets, and are illegal to own without the proper permits and licenses. Instead, head to your local zoo to enjoy these small creatures in action. By supporting San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, you are our ally in saving and protecting wildlife worldwide. Meerkats are known for their daring diet: they are able to kill and eat venomous snakes and scorpions without being hurt, as they have some immunity to the venom.

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