Meerkat
From Wikinfo
| Meerkat | ||||||||||||
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Suricata suricatta | ||||||||||||
The meerkat (Afrikaans: lit. lake cat), or suricate, is a small mammal (weighing about 2 lb (1 kg) and 20 inch (500 mm) long) inhabiting all parts of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. It is a member of the mongoose family.
The meerkat is carnivorous, consuming mostly insects but also other small mammals, and lives in colonies of up to 40 individuals. They hunt in groups and protect their young. They practice division of labour. One individual watches and gives an alarm call if a predator approaches. The others concentrate on hunting.
Meerkat calls have recently been noted to carry an element of meaning, with calls representing the approach of snakes, birds of prey, or other predators. How this has evolved is not clear; however, it is a clear demonstration that meaning is not solely found in human language, although no-one would claim that the calls of the meerkat are a true language.
Meerkats acquired some fame among the general public after David Attenborough narrated a popular BBC documentary about them, entitled Meerkats United. In fiction, meerkats are likely best known by the character Timon from the film The Lion King.
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References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Meerkat" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meerkat, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
