5056 x 3458 px | 42,8 x 29,3 cm | 16,9 x 11,5 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
23 agosto 2019
Ubicazione:
Wingham Wild Life Park, Wingham, Kent
Altre informazioni:
These animals range in length from 42cm to 60cm and can weigh up to 720g. They live throughout the whole of the Kalahari desert where it digs elaborate burrows.The average lifespan of a meerkat is from 12 to 14 years.This animal is mainly an insectivore feeding on a variety of insects, however when need be will also feed on small lizards, snakes, eggs and other small mammals. These animals spend a lot of their time foraging for their food.An average group of meerkats (called a clan) will consist of around 20 individuals, however “super families” exist with up to 50 animals being recorded. During breeding season the male will groom the female he has chosen for breeding until she submits to his advances. The females gestation will last around 11 weeks after which she will give birth to 1 to 5 pups.The main threats to this species are predation, making up a large proportion of the diet of several predators from the area, as well as being prone to losing large numbers of its population in very dry years through its very dry habitat.Groups of meerkats are usually called clans, but can also be called mobs or gangs.
