Meerkats!

My son and I had lots of fun researching meerkats a few weeks ago! After learning about them from a variety of books and website articles, we went to our local zoo and he took tons of pictures of the meerkats there. He wrote a report, and I made a website about the adorable little cat-like animals called meerkats!



Meerkats lead very social lives, working together and often putting the needs of the group over their own. For example, did you know that meerkats take turns babysitting their mob's youth in order to allow the new mother time to go out and hunt for food? If she doesn't eat, she won't be able to nurse her babies. Yet another meerkat is giving up a lot when he or she agrees to babysit, as they can lose up to 2% of their weight in a day of babysitting! The babysitter doesn't get much chance to eat that day! That's some dedication and commitment to the good of the whole mob, don't you think?! Wow! How many humans agree to fast for a full day, in order to help out the others in their community?

If you'd like to read more about these adorable animals in the mongoose family, or see some more of the photos we took, you can do so by visiting Meerkats!