Meerkats, or meerkats, are mammalian animals that belong to the Herpestidae family, making them a type of mongoose. This species is native to the African continent and is characterized by its highly social behavior among family groups, which can have up to 30 individuals, however, they tend to be aggressive towards meerkats that do not belong to the herd. These small animals live in burrows and have a peculiar surveillance system, where a member of the group acts as a sentinel to detect possible predators while they are feeding outside their burrows. It is this last aspect that we will talk about in this article on our site, so keep reading to discover what do meerkats eat
What is the meerkat diet like?
Meerkats form cooperative aggregations, not only while inside the collective burrows belonging to a family group, but also while they are was feeding. These animals live in burrows and, therefore, come out of the underground environment to look for food. As they move away from the dens, an adult will act as a sentinel or watchman, maintaining the typical upright position that is common to see in them and being well alert to the approach of any predator that may pose a danger to the group. Thus, when this happens, the meerkat that monitors emits some sounds so that the group is alerted. If there are small individuals, they will immediately run and huddle around the mother.
Mainly, meerkats are carnivorous, being very active animals for the search and capture of food, which they do especially through the smell. Although their diet is primarily based on the consumption of other animals, they also eat some fruits and tubers, a fact that, apparently, is more related to obtaining water.
What do baby meerkats eat?
As we have mentioned, meerkats are animals that cooperate in important ways with each other. Thus, when there are adults that have not reproduced, they act as caregivers for the newborns so that the mother can go out to feed. This action allows the females with young to produce an adequate level of milk for them, since, as mammalian animals, baby meerkats are lactating
How and when do they start to feed themselves?
When about a month has passed or even about seven weeks, the little meerkats already they can feed on prey, however, they are not yet capable of capturing them, so it must be their parents, or another adult, who bring them food when the little ones demand food. The young will not be able to leave the den before they are about two months old, so they start hunting at around three months old. When they leave, they remain dependent on adults, who watch over them at all times, since birds of prey are large predators that tend to feed on young of this species.
Meerkats are characterized by teaching their young to feed, especially prey such as scorpions that can be dangerous due to their venom. In these cases, the adult catches the arachnid and usually kills it or removes its stinger to leave it defenseless, thus taking it to the young so that they begin to learn to manipulate it and, when the time comes, they are able to capture it without being stung by it. animal.
A curious aspect in small meerkats is that, although they are feeding, they are not able to excrete urine and feces without the stimulation of their mother, so she must lick the perianal region of the small to induce excretion.
What do adult meerkats eat?
These peculiar mammals capture a variety of animals present in their habitat, as well as other types of provisions. In this sense, the foods that adult meerkats eat are:
- Termites
- Caterpillars
- Beetles
- Spiders
- Scorpions
- Lizards
- Snakes
- Rodents
- Birds
- Eggs
- Tubers
- Fruits
Many people wonder what "domestic" meerkats eat, however, it is important to emphasize that these animals are not pets, they must remain in their natural habitat, free and wild. Only in case of finding an injured individual or one that needs our help, we can attend to it and always in the hands of professionals, so the ideal would be to go to a fauna rescue and recovery center.
When do meerkats eat?
We already know that the meerkat's diet is carnivorous, although it sometimes eats fruits and tubers, but when does it go hunting? Meerkats are animals with mainly diurnal habits, but their activity is regulated by solar incidence and temperatures. Thus, they wait for the sun to begin to heat the surface of the burrow to emerge from it, so on cloudy or rainy days they do not usually come out. In the midday hours, when temperatures are high, they seek refuge in the den again.
In this sense, meerkats go out in the morning to feed and normally spend between 5 and up to 8 hours feeding. These animals can distance themselves from each other up to 5 meters to sniff out and capture prey. Generally, the animals they capture are dug up and, if they get too large, they are struck with the claws of their forelimbs to kill them.
While feeding away from their burrows, the sentinel will climb a mound of earth or perch on some branches to keep watch and alert in case of danger. Adult individuals will rotate in this activity, but will only act as lookouts after their hunger is fully satiated.
Meerkats not only support each other by caring for the young so that the mother can feed away from the burrow, but they also protect the young who are exposed to predators and other meerkats outside the family group and who live in the area, which would kill them if they found them alone. It is for this reason that the support between them is essential for the survival of the offspring and it is also the reason that there are internal reproductive controls in the group, so that dominant males and females try to prevent the subordinates from reproducing.
How much do meerkats eat?
The amount of food a meerkat eats will depend on a number of factors, but under favorable conditions, it will feed until its hunger is fully satisfied. In general, the estimated percentage regarding the type of animal food eaten by adult meerkats is as follows:
- Insects: 82 %
- Arachnids: 7 %
- Centipedes: 3 %
- Millipedes: 3 %
- Reptiles: 2 %
- Birds: 2 %
As we can see, the meerkat's diet is based, above all, on insects that live underground.
Again, we insist that these are wild animals that must live freely and enjoy natural habitats in good condition.
