Meerkats are fascinating animals. A type of mongoose native to Southern Africa, they live in tightly bonded communities and rely heavily on each other for survival. During the day they hunt for food. Because they in turn are prey to a number of predators they take it in turns to watch the skies and horizons quickly alerting the rest of the gang should danger be spotted. It is their distinctive upright pose when on guard that they are probably best known for though I have a few topple over when still half asleep in the early morning! When a warning is sounded the entire community races immediately to the nearest entrance of the communal underground burrow. This complex, consisting of several entrances, tunnels and chambers, is also where they spend each night.
Although I am lucky enough to have spent several hours in the midst of a wild community of meerkats in South Africa’s Makgadikgadi Pans, this particular individual was photographed in a zoo here in the UK.
