Meerkat: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Five facts

1. One recorded meerkat warren stretched 25 by 32 m and had as many as 90 holes.
2. Burrows stay between 21 and 39 °C in summer and between -4 and 26 °C in winter, gentler than the surface.
3. Alarm calls carry meaning: a ground-predator alarm makes meerkats scan and head toward the call, while a bird-of-prey alarm makes them crouch.
4. A meerkat pack roams a home range of about 5 km² on average, dotted with many burrows 50 to 100 m apart.
5. Meerkat packs fight fiercely. About 19 % of meerkats die in fights with other meerkats, the highest share recorded for any mammal.

The quiz

1. How many holes did one huge reported warren have?

• As many as 9
• As many as 19
• As many as 90 (correct)
• As many as 900

It had as many as 90 holes.

2. What is the winter temperature range inside the burrows?

• 21 to 39 °C
• -4 to 26 °C (correct)
• -30 to -10 °C
• 30 to 45 °C

In winter, burrows stay between -4 °C and 26 °C.

3. How do meerkats react to an aerial-predator alarm?

• They crouch (correct)
• They start digging
• They climb a tree
• They play dead

A bird-of-prey alarm makes them crouch.

4. What is the average home range of a meerkat pack?

• 0.5 km²
• 5 km² (correct)
• 50 km²
• 500 km²

The average is 5 km².

5. What share of meerkat deaths is caused by other meerkats?

• 1 %
• 9 %
• 19 % (correct)
• 49 %

About 19 % of meerkats die in fights with other meerkats.

More about the Meerkat

All lessons

Nature documentaries