I love animals - Reading, videos and a story with questions for small kids - Part 33 Meerkat

They stand up straight like little soldiers and look around.  They look like 'nosy parkers'.

These little animals are on alert and not only do they stand up like that to make sure they see what is going on around them, it is also to soak in the sun after a long cold night.

They are social animals which mean they live in groups.  A group of meerkats are called a 'gang or clan' and it can be as many as up to 50 living together.

A meerkat is part of the family that the mongoose also belongs to, but different from the other members of this family, a meerkat does not have a fluffy tail.

Meerkats live in areas of clumpy grassland and deserts in the southern area of the African continent, including the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. 

A meerkat can live for up to 10 years in the wild and even longer up to 14 years in captivity if they are cared for well.

During the night, or when there is danger, the meerkat will go into its burrow which he dug with his paws that are especially adapted for digging.

Meerkats will mostly eat insects, but they will also attack and eat snakes, scorpions, spiders and small mammals like mice or rats.  The meerkat is immune against the venom of some snakes and scorpions, which mean they can be stung, without being affected by the poison.

They have excellent eyesight and can spot predators from far away on land and even in the air.  The black marks around its eyes also help to make the glare of the sun less so that they can see better.

In order for a meerkat to stand up straight, it has to use its tail to balance itself.  It now has the advantage to spot danger quicker.

Each of the gangs have 'lookouts' that will warn the rest of the meerkats if there are any predators to watch out for.  They will warn the rest of the gang who will then go into hiding.  

If the meerkat on guard spots danger, it barks loudly or whistles in one of six different ways. For example if the threat is of low, medium or high urgency and if the predator is in the air or on the ground.

For a high-urgency land predator alarm call, meerkats will scatter down their nearest burrow entrance. For a high-urgency aerial predator alarm call, they will crouch down and may look skyward.

• Watch the video and listen to the story or read it for yourself and answer the questions

1. Who is the main character of the story?
2. On which continent is this story taking place?
3. Why is Marvin in a bad mood?
4. What were the other meerkats busy doing and why does Marvin not like it?
5. What did Marvin do that made Thelma shout at him?
6. What did the other meerkats say about Marvin?
7. What did Marvin do to scare the other meerkats?

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