Meerkats are some of the most entertaining of all animals to watch.
Meerkats are highly social animals and do everything together.
They're only 1ft (30cm) tall, ie slightly smaller and slighter than the average house cat. This is their characteristic "sentry" pose as they watch out for enemies in the Kalahari Desert region of Southern Africa they call home.
Meerkats are closely related to mongooses and similarly have a huge natural resistance to venom of many types. Yes, they eat scorpions. Plus a very varied diet that includes everything from insects to tree roots ...
They can even survive the bite of a puff adder, which would ordinarily kill a grown man. Here's a clip from the BBC's highly acclaimed Meerkat Manor series:
And baby meerkats are tiny (of course)
and very, very cute ...
(here under infrared light in at Australia's Mogo Zoo)
When they think the humans aren't listening meerkats talk with a Russian accent, as "divulged" by this advert series for a British price comparison website. The ads have been so successful that one football manager from the former USSR cannot open his mouth before team-mates start quoting the famous commercials for Compare the Meerkat dotCom:
Have a happy weekend, y'all..!
i always watch meercat manor!!! it's so fun and also rreally sad at times, when they get hurt and stuff
ReplyDeleteas for my secret if my source disappear i guess i have no choice but to quit lol as simple as that
argh nasty!
ReplyDeleteon meerkat manor do you get the english voice or do they dub it over your end?
Incredibly cute :))) That upright position is remarkable. Must go and find out how to pronounce meerkat... And what the Finnish for it is. Have a good weekend!
ReplyDeletegledwood its in a British accent
ReplyDeletehannibal is an awful meercat booo he sucks, and flower was bitten by a snake once and almost died
Bet they learn to eat those scorpions very fast and carefully - their stand reminds me of the way kangaroos sit back and watch ... only these don't have pouches ;)
ReplyDeleteI love meerkats, the way they stand up on their hind legs is so cute. My cats do that too when they see or hear something unusual. They look quite odd.
ReplyDeleteI'd never head of Mogo Zoo and had to have a look on the link. Of course, it's privately owned so that's probably why I've never heard of it!
Nice post :-)
ReplyDeleteRITA: Finnish for Meerkat? Miirkat~~??
ReplyDeleteps you said nothing about the glorious Russian accent in those commercials ..(!!)
SWEDEN: yes I remember. That was the clip I was looking for the one who got bitten by a puffadder, whimpered back to the nest ... and 2 days later was ALIVE AND WELL...!!!
BIMBIMBIE: aye!
PUSSINBOOTS: your cats stand up like Meerkaks? That's quite amazing ...
Yes Mogo zoo's private, I saw when listing, but didn't know whether to mention that. I'd assume most Australian zoos were, after all didn't Steve Irwin have one too..?
VINCENT: you're welcome ;->...
Great post, Gledds. Loved it. Love you.
ReplyDeleteSB
Interesting critters. Not as cute as your little Spherical though.
ReplyDelete