Meerkat - Suricata suricata

A delightful little creature made famous in the ‘Lion King’ with the loveable character of Timon. Meerkats are a member of the mongoose family. They are highly social animals living in groups known as mobs which generally have a single breeding pair that serve as the leaders. 

They are predominantly insectivores, but will eat reptiles, birds, mammals, plants and seeds. 

They are listed as ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Redlist, one major threat that the meerkat faces is drought. With the grip of climate change becoming more tangible, this may put pressure on these loveable critters in years to come.