Photograph of Meerkat

-- The Meerkat is a mongoose of the African grasslands. Like other Mongooses, Meerkats hunt with amazing agility. Delicacies such as bugs, lizards, and small rodents prove easy prey for this predator. Meerkats differ from most mongooses because they live in large social communities of more than one family. Using their sharp claws, they dig huge burrows with tunnel systems for the colony. They all watch out for each other, and are often seen on their hind feet with their noses in the air, keeping watch.