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| Always vigilant |
They have developed extraordinary physical and social qualities. For example, they have immunity to scorpion venom, and thus they routinely make a meal out of them.
Meerkats organize themselves into groups called mobs, gangs or clans in order to increase their hunting and defense effectiveness.
They have a well-organized division of labor, and they take turns acting as sentries so as to protect their group as they hunt, sleep, or nurse their babies.
To defend their territory they do not hesitate to confront much more dangerous and bigger animals such as cobras.
Their intelligence, courage, social organization, and vigilance are key to their survival, and should serve us as inspiration as we start this new year.
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| Babies already show their fierceness |
In Europe the globalist government elite continues to welcome millions of migrants who engage in crime, rape, and terror against the population.
In the United States President Obama feigns moral outrage at the hacking of the Democrats' emails.
What Obama won't acknowledge is the ineptness, deception, corruption and depravity of Democrat government officials exposed by that hacking. Had not someone leaked those emails, voters would have chosen a president in ignorance of the depth of the Democrat cesspool.
Obama imported hundreds of thousands of Muslim migrants into the USA. He also brought with him antipathy against whites and Israel, government incompetence, abuse of power, deception, anger stemming from personal shortcomings, and much more from the Islamic world in which he grew up.
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| Solid family values |
We need to be aware of the moral weakness of our politicians. Some of them impose a nefarious agenda through the use of political correctness to silence us while they enact policies that wreak havoc with our lives and our society.
We need to be vigilant of the of government, and of people and institutions with the power to mold society, such as the media, schools and universities.
We need to protect our children against institutionalized indoctrination that undermines the family and traditional values.
We humans are animals too, and we are wired to protect ourselves, our families, our countries, our economies, our way of life.
The ongoing globalist agenda of turning people into wimps of delicate nature, easily offended, unable to deal with opposing points of view, and easily intimidated by authority, goes against what we really are: resilient creatures meant to survive in a tough world.
We need to protect our children against institutionalized indoctrination that undermines the family and traditional values.
We humans are animals too, and we are wired to protect ourselves, our families, our countries, our economies, our way of life.
The ongoing globalist agenda of turning people into wimps of delicate nature, easily offended, unable to deal with opposing points of view, and easily intimidated by authority, goes against what we really are: resilient creatures meant to survive in a tough world.
MEERKATS AT A GLANCE
Meerkat Vital Statistics
Vision: Color. The dark eye markings act like built-in sunglasses.Feet: Non-retractable claws. Four toes.
Ears: Closeable.
Height: 12 inches (30 centimeters).
Weight: 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms).
Light-absorbency: Called the "Solar Panel Of The Animal World," meerkats use their dark-skinned, sparsely furred bellies to warm up.
Taxonomy: Members of the mongoose family.
Tail: 8 inches (20 centimeters) long and used as a tripod to balance the animal in an upright position.
Activity: Diurnal (active during the day).
Life span: 12 to 14 years.
Society: A group of meerkats, usually five to thirty members, is called a "mob" or a "gang."
Meerkat Home
Home range: Southern Africa/Kalahari Desert
Dwelling: Grass-lined burrows that are shared with ground squirrels and yellow mongooses.
Toilet: Common latrine used by all members.
Transience: Mob moves several times annually if food supply is depleted.
Competitiveness: Meerkats are very territorial and will fiercely defend their home from other meerkat gangs.
Dwelling: Grass-lined burrows that are shared with ground squirrels and yellow mongooses.
Toilet: Common latrine used by all members.
Transience: Mob moves several times annually if food supply is depleted.
Competitiveness: Meerkats are very territorial and will fiercely defend their home from other meerkat gangs.
Meerkat PredatorsGuardianship: Meerkats are "snack size" for a number of animals, so one always stands guard while the others forage or nap.Primary predators: Martial eagles and jackals. 911: Various alarm calls indicate different predators.  |
Meerkat RomanceSpecialization: Alpha male and female do most of the breeding.Litter size: 2 to 5. Gestation: Eleven weeks. Breeding season: October-April in the wild. Year-round in captivity. Helplessness: Born with eyes and ears closed. Sparsely furred. Helpfulness: Various adults will baby-sit the youngsters while the mother feeds. Precociousness: Sexually mature at one year.  |
Meerkat Food
Diet: Scorpions (meerkats are immune to their venom), beetles, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, worms, crickets (FAST food), small mammals, small reptiles, birds, eggs, tubers and roots.
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FACTS ABOUT MEERKATS
BY LIVE SCIENCE
Meerkats are catlike carnivores that are part of the civets and mongoose family.
They are identified by their long bodies; short, flat ears; and their ability to stand on their back feet.
Meerkat coats can be gold, silver, orange or brown with dark patches of fur around the eyes.
Meerkats are small animals, measuring 9.75 to 11.75 inches (25 to 30 centimeters) from head to rump. Their tails add another 7.5 to 9.5 inches (19 to 24 cm) to their length.
At less than 2.2 lbs. (1 kilogram), a meerkat weighs about the same as a squirrel.
Where do meerkats live?
These animals are found in the deserts and grasslands of Africa, including southwestern Botswana, western and southern Namibia, and north and west South Africa.
They can also be found in the extreme southwestern areas of Angola and in the lowlands of Lesotho.
Meerkats live together in big groups. Several meerkat families may live together to form a community called a mob, gang or clan.
Meerkats live together in big groups. Several meerkat families may live together to form a community called a mob, gang or clan.
Such a group can include three to 50 meerkats, according to the Natural History Museum, and the mob's dominant female leads the group.
Living in intricate tunnel systems underground called burrows, meerkats can stay safe from predators and cool during hot days.
One burrow can have as many as 15 entrance and exit holes and can reach up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) deep, according to the San Diego Zoo. Unlike other burrowing creatures, meerkats live in more than one burrow; they keep several in rotation.
Every morning, meerkats start their day with grooming or lying in the sun. During the rest of the day, they forage for food.
One meerkat will watch the group of foragers and alert them if a predator approaches. This sentry is relieved and replaced each hour so that everyone can forage.
What do meerkats eat?
What do meerkats eat?
Though they are considered carnivores, meerkats eat more than just meat. Their diet includes lizards, birds, bugs and fruit, according to the National Geographic.
They also like to treat themselves to scorpions. Adult meerkats have some immunity to the venom, so scorpion stingers are no problem.
However, instead of allowing pups to learn by trial and error and risk receiving a potentially life-threatening sting, mothers will cut the tail off of a scorpion before feeding the arachnid to her young, according to a 2006 study published in the journal Science.
Baby meerkats
Females give birth to one to eight babies at a time, but it is more common for meerkat mothers to have three to four offspring at a time.
The babies, called pups, are born underground, where they are safe from predators. At birth, pups weigh 25 to 36 grams (0.9 to 1.3 ounces), according to the San Diego Zoo.
In addition to being small, pups are also blind, deaf and almost hairless.
The whole family, including the father and siblings, pitches in to help raise the new additions.
By nine weeks, the pups are weaned, and by one and a half years, the meerkats will be mature enough to have their own offspring. Meerkats live up to eight years in the wild and up to 13 years in zoos.
Conservation status
Meerkats are listed as "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Species. There are currently no major threats to the animals, and their populations are doing well.
Other facts
Meerkat mothers can nurse their young while standing on their back legs. A dominant meerkat mom will force subordinates to nurse her young for her, according to a 2013 study published in the journal Animal Behavior.
When the pups are old enough, their mother will bring them live bugs and teach them how to kill the prey, according to the journal Science.
Young meerkats are so leery of birds that even airplanes will scare the animals into their burrows.
If the mob decides to move to another burrow, family members and other caretakers will carry pups by the scruff of the neck.
A membrane covers and protects meerkats' eyes while they dig.
When two groups of meerkats go to war over territory, they will line up and charge each other, much like human warriors did before modern technology. Meerkat wars can result in many deaths, so the animals try to avoid such conflicts by employing intimidation tactics, according to the San Diego Zoo.
Classification/taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
- Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
- Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
- Superclass: Tetrapoda
- Class: Mammalia
- Subclass: Theria
- Infraclass: Eutheria
- Order: Carnivora
- Suborder: Feliformia
- Family: Herpestidae
- Genus & species: Suricata suricatta
- Subspecies: Suricata suricatta iona, Suricata suricatta marjoriae, Suricata suricatta suricatta
Additional resources
REFERENCES for this article
http://www.livescience.com/27406-meerkats.html
http://www.meerkats.net/info.htm
http://www.fellowearthlings.org/info.html
Photos:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-3555144/Forget-big-cats-meerkats-Extraordinary-South-African-experience-lets-tourists-close-personal-curious-creatures.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3799426/Adorable-baby-meerkats-play-outside-time-Taronga-Zoo-Sydney.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2187274/Meerkat-holidays-How-I-got-close-meerkat-family-South-Africas-Kalahari-Desert.html
http://blog.burrard-lucas.com/2014/04/photographing-meerkats/
VIDEOS:
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
MEERKATS MOB RULE (3 minutes)
BBC - MEERKATS UNITED (22 minutes)
OTHER NEW YEAR GREETINGS
ON THIS BLOG:
Friday, January 2, 2015
HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH PICTURES OF MICROSCOPIC WATER BEARS OR TARDIGRADES
TINY BUT TOUGH
They can survive being frozen, boiled, and nuked by space radiation, and live for at least 200 years.
Read more and see more pictures
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2015/01/happy-new-year-with-pictures-of.html
Friday, January 1, 2016HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH TINY SEA MONKEYS (or Brine Shrimp) that are so tough that they can live for a thousand years surviving fire, lack of oxygen, boiling and absolute zero temperatures, and lethal space radiation
Read more
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2015/12/happy-new-year-with-tiny-sea-monkeys-or.html
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