Meerkats

Meerkat, or their scientific name, Suricate, are small mammals that live in the desert where the food is scarce. In the desert, there are animals such as hawks, coyotes, snakes, and scorpions which all can either kill or harm a Meerkat really bad. With all the danger, the only defensive weapons that a Meerkat has are his own claws, which are only 2 centimeters long.   Due to the extreme changes in temperature of the day and night of desert, there are few vegetations or insects that can survive, and these few vegetations and insects are the only things that a Meerkat survive on. With all the disadvantages working against a Meerkat, it is neither endangered nor threatened. So what’s the secret of surviving for a Meerkat? Well, that’s the main reason why I did my project on the Meerkat. See, Meerkat never live alone, they live in groups called mobs, which are comprised between 5 to 30 individuals. The Meerkats’ highly structured society uses teamwork as the core of their survival strategy and also the key of their success. The Meerkats are so well organized that an ancient tribe worshipped them as gods; they even tried to copy the Meerkats’ strategies of hunting.

In a mob of Meerkats, there is only one breeding pair, known as the alpha pair. The alpha pair is also in charge of governing the mob. The alpha pair changes from time to time. If a mob gets too big, the strongest members of the group will wonder off and try to form another mob of their own. When the mob is off to hunt, they occupy themselves with different jobs. While some hunt, dig and forage, the mob will have a lookout, or two, to keep watch of the mob. Meerkats have very good eyesight, and the lookout take this as an advantage. The lookout has the responsibility of the lives of the mob, including it’s own. That’s why the lookout is always completely focused on its job. If it weren’t, a lightning fast hawk could kill any member of the mob instantly or the entire mob could be wiped out by a group of...