Post by ACID (Thema) on Oct 3, 2007 23:25:02 GMT -5
Information on Meerkats
Scientific name is: Suricata Suricatta (to which meerkats in my comic will refer to themselves as Suricata suricatta. (Meerkat means Marsh cat. Meerkats are not cats and they don't live in marshes.)
They live in family groups within the Kalahari desert that can range from small to big family groups, all members are usually offspring of the dominant pair. Sometimes could consist of siblings of the dominant pair. In a meerkat family it is a team effort. everyone takes care of the babies, everyone helps with burrow digging, everyone takes turns scouting for predators.
Only the dominant female of the group can have young. When she is pregnant/litter is first born. All females who could be a potential threat to the new litter are temporarily kicked out of the group. If another female has young the dominant female may kill them off to make sure her young get the attention from the group. Without a group, a meerkat cannot survive.
Meerkats are very territorial animals and it is common for them to march in a war dance like fashion towards their enemy to take over more territory or lessen possible threat.
Meerkats go 'scavaging' for food each day leaving one or two members on babysitting duty. If one of their own is lost they all hang onto each other in a grieving fashion to mourn together of their family member who died.
Meerkats tend to have numerous burrows dug through out their territory. Each borrow can have many tunnels and path ways leading to all sorts of certain 'chambers'.
Scientific name is: Suricata Suricatta (to which meerkats in my comic will refer to themselves as Suricata suricatta. (Meerkat means Marsh cat. Meerkats are not cats and they don't live in marshes.)
They live in family groups within the Kalahari desert that can range from small to big family groups, all members are usually offspring of the dominant pair. Sometimes could consist of siblings of the dominant pair. In a meerkat family it is a team effort. everyone takes care of the babies, everyone helps with burrow digging, everyone takes turns scouting for predators.
Only the dominant female of the group can have young. When she is pregnant/litter is first born. All females who could be a potential threat to the new litter are temporarily kicked out of the group. If another female has young the dominant female may kill them off to make sure her young get the attention from the group. Without a group, a meerkat cannot survive.
Meerkats are very territorial animals and it is common for them to march in a war dance like fashion towards their enemy to take over more territory or lessen possible threat.
Meerkats go 'scavaging' for food each day leaving one or two members on babysitting duty. If one of their own is lost they all hang onto each other in a grieving fashion to mourn together of their family member who died.
Meerkats tend to have numerous burrows dug through out their territory. Each borrow can have many tunnels and path ways leading to all sorts of certain 'chambers'.