Meerkat in exhibit
Scientific Name
Suricata suricatta
Geographic Range
Southern Africa
Diet
Insects like grubs and termites (less frequent: small vertebrates, eggs, and plant matter)
Meerkat in exhibit Endangered Status Graph - Least Concern Endangered Status Graph - Least Concern

About This Animal

Meerkats are small members of the mongoose family with brown fur and darker tail tips. Darker eye patches help reduce glare from bright sunlight. They have pointed snouts and powerful foreclaws designed to help them dig and retrieve prey from narrow crevices. Meerkats weigh up to 2.2 pounds and are between 10–14 inches in length, minus their long tails.

These highly social animals live in groups of up to 30 individuals called mobs. Mobs can contain several families living together in different burrows, with females appearing dominant. One member of the mob acts as a sentinel, standing on hind legs and surveying the landscape as the others forage for food. The sentinel lets out a shrill call if a predator is spotted. Sentinel duty rotates between individuals throughout the day.

Most breeding takes place during the warm, rainy season between August and March when food is easiest to obtain. Males initiate the process by fighting with females. Females give birth to litters of two to five offspring after an 11-week gestation period. The young are weaned by nine weeks of age and reach sexual maturity when they are 1 year old.

Meerkats are spread widely across dry, open habitats in southern Africa and experience no major threats.

Species Survival Plan logo

Species Survival Plan®

We cooperate with other members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to manage the zoo population of this species through a Species Survival Plan®.

Learn More

Animal Care staff working with seal

Commitment to Care

Lincoln Park Zoo prioritizes individual well-being over everything else. Guided by scientific research, staff and volunteers work to provide the best welfare outcomes for each individual in the zoo’s care.

Learn More

Support Your Zoo

Two Chilean flamingos in exhibit

Animals Depend On People Too

When you ADOPT an animal, you support world-class animal care by helping to provide specially formulated diets, new habitat elements, and regular veterinary checkups.

Adopt an Animal

Asian small-clawed otter in exhibit

Wish List

The Wish List is full of one-of-a-kind items for the zoo’s animals, including nutritious snacks and enrichment items to keep them active and healthy.

Browse the Wish List

African penguin eating a fish

Take Action With Us

Wildlife face many daunting challenges—some global, like planet-wide climate change, and some that affect individuals, like an animal ingesting plastic—but now is not the time to despair. None of these problems are too big for us to come together and solve.

Take Action

00:00
00:00
Empty Playlist