A meerkat in Namibia

© Danita Delimont/Offset by Shutterstoc

Info. A meerkat in Namibia

Meerkats, also called suricates, are members of the mongoose family native to southern Africa. They live in groups (called mobs) of 20 to 50 animals that work together and share extensive networks of underground burrows. Our friend today, photographed in Namibia, appears to be on guard, known as sentry duty. This is when a meerkat stands and looks out for predators as the rest of the group searches for food, such as insects and small reptiles. Meerkats take turns to be on guard duty and give different alarm calls depending on the type of predator.