Slender Tailed Meerkat
Meerkats are native to Southern Africa, which is dominated by the Kalahari desert, which
covers over one million square miles and is 10 times the size of Great Britain. The
Kalahari spreads over the countries of South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, and
Zimbabwe. Meerkats are a member of the mongoose family. A group of meerkats is
called a "mob" or "gang". "Meerkat" originates from the Dutch language meaning "Marsh
Cat". They were first named in 1776. However, the name has been superseded in Dutch
by "Stokstaartje" ("Little stick-tail") and the word only kept its original meaning in
Afrikaans and English. According to African popular belief (mainly in Zambia and
Zimbabwe), the Meerkat is also known as the "Sun Angel", as it protects villages from
the "Moon devil" or the "Werewolf" which attack stray cattle or lone tribesmen. Meerkats
have become rather famous thanks to the character "Timone" from the film Lion King.
Did you know that meerkats are immune to scorpion venom?!
