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Meerkatshavemade
appearancesin someof
yourfavoritemovies—like
TimoninTheLionKing! But
justhowaccuratelydidthe
Disneyanimatedflickportray
meerkats?Well,it turns
out,Timonis a prettyspot-
onrepresentationofwhat
meerkatsarelikein reallife!
Here’s whatthemoviegotright
—andtheonethingit didn’t:Fromhis
darkeyefur
tohisstripesdown
hisback,Timon’s
signaturemeerkat
featuresare allthere.
Thecartoon
mongoose
snacksoninsects
—a keyfoodin the
meerkatdiet!
Timonand
hiswarthog
pal,Pumbaa,would
bothbefoundin the
sameAfricanhabitat.
Althoughmeerkatsand
warthogsdon’tusually
interactsocially,they
doliveside-by-sidepeacefully.
Timonis thedecision-makerof
thepair,whichmakessense:
Meerkatsareveryalertandalways
awarewhileoutin thewild.
However, Timonpresents
himselfasbeinganoutcast.
Asweknow,meerkatsare extremely
socialcreatures,so“outcast”is the
onethingaboutTimonthat’snota
perfectfit!Meerkatsin ther kats Movies!
morning in order to warm
up their bodies,” Deidre
informs us. “They’ll lay out
on their backs just to soak
up the morning sun’s rays!”FAMOUS FEATURES
These squirrel-sized
creatures are known for
their upright posture and
dark, raccoon-like eyes.
Meerkats will often stand
on their rear legs and gaze
alertly over the southern
African plains. Mothers
can even nurse their
young while standing!
Deidre says their special
fur and skin color help
them survive in their
desert surroundings.
“Their stomachs have
thin fur and darker skin
to help them control
body temperature,”
Deidre explains. They
also have short parallel
stripes across their
backs, extending
from the tail to the
shoulders. The patterns
of stripes are unique
to each meerkat — an
important feature to
have when you live
in a large mob of 40
meerkats!