A meerkat is merely a cat.
FALSE. It’s a member of the mongoose
family, and its relatives include civets,
genets, and fossas, not cats.
Meerkats have different calls to
warn about different kinds of
predators.
TRUE. For example, if a meerkat spots
an eagle, it gives one kind of alarm call. If
it sees a snake slithering nearby, its alarm
sounds different.
They’re excellent divers.
TRUE. They dive into their burrow’s
access holes to escape predators.
Meerkats are fat-free.
TRUE. Meerkats don’t store fat, so these
mammals must eat every day.
You don’t need to bother cooking for
your meerkat friend—just send her
to the garden to eat grubs.
TRUE. She’ll also devour spiders, crickets,
centipedes, millipedes, and scorpions.
© MARGUERITE SMITS VAN OYEN /
NATURE PICTURE LIBRARYA
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MEERKAT