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Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) wildlife photograph

Field guide · common

Meerkat

The desert sentinel, a small mongoose that stands upright on hind legs, scanning the Kalahari sky while its family digs for scorpions below.

Least Concern

Suricata suricatta

Overview

Meerkats are among the most cooperative mammals on Earth. Groups of up to 50 share burrow systems in hard Kalahari soil, babysit each other's pups, and post sentries that stand tall on rear legs, swivelling to spot eagles and jackals.

While one meerkat watches the sky, the rest forage for insects, scorpions, and small reptiles, often teaching pups which prey is safe to handle. Their dark eye patches reduce glare, like natural sunglasses.

Habitat

  • Dry savanna
  • Semi-desert
  • Scrub

Dry savanna, scrub, and semi-desert in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa hold meerkats. They need hard ground for burrows and open visibility for sentinel duty, and have become famous through wildlife films in the Kalahari.

Countries found

Field notes

Field scale for the Meerkat: length around 25-35 cm body; tail ~20-25 cm; weight 0.6-1 kg. Typical lifespan: Around 5-15 years in the wild.

When you are scanning habitat, prioritise dry savanna, semi-desert, and scrub. Those settings are where a clean look and a usable photo are most likely.

Quick ID anchor: Small slender mongoose with tawny-grey fur, dark eye patches, and a thin tapering tail with a dark tip. Often seen standing bipedal on a mound, scanning for predators. Confirm with behaviour and habitat before you log the discovery.

Where to see one

  • Botswana

    In Botswana, strong options include Kalahari Desert and Makgadikgadi Pans. Red sand and sparse scrub, home to meerkat mobs, gemsbok, and brown hyenas at burrow entrances at dawn.

    Open the Botswana spotting guide for every park note tied to the meerkat.

    Spotting guide for Meerkat in Botswana

Diet

Primarily insectivores: beetles, larvae, termites, and other invertebrates, plus scorpions, small lizards, and occasional eggs or plant matter. Dig actively for prey in hard soil.

Behaviour

Highly social mongoose living in clans that share burrow systems. One or more sentries stand upright on hind legs while others forage; pups are babysat cooperatively.

How to identify

Small slender mongoose with tawny-grey fur, dark eye patches, and a thin tapering tail with a dark tip. Often seen standing bipedal on a mound, scanning for predators.

Interesting facts

  1. 01

    Meerkats take turns standing guard while the group forages, one always on sentry duty.

  2. 02

    They are immune to some scorpion venom.

  3. 03

    Sentries give different alarm calls for ground and aerial predators.

Conservation status

LC: Least Concern

Meerkats are Least Concern across southern Africa. They are popular in ecotourism and wildlife documentaries, with habituated groups at research sites in Botswana.

Sources: IUCN Red List

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Where it lives

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