Meerkat - LR9A1941
Meerkats may be able to handle a bite from some types of venomous snakes. Biologists have discovered meerkats are immune to some snakes' venom as they belong to the mongoose family. In some parts of the world, people prize mongooses as house guards because they can battle with deadly snakes, like cobras. If bitten they feel unwell for serval hours but make a full recovery.
Meerkats are actually pretty tough if you look like lunch
Meerkats may looks absolutely adorable but they lead dangerous lives. They have developed a technique for handling the venom found in scorpions, which they eat. When a scorpion sees a meerkat it moves in quickly for the kill. The scorpion may be aware a meerkat is close by, but it grabs the arachnid so fast it can’t attack. First the meerkat zeroes in on the tail biting off the scorpion's stinger and discarding it. Without its tail the scorpion can’t strike delivering venom. The pincers may cause a nasty nip, but that’s all. There is however still venom on its exoskeleton. To combat this, meerkats have learned to rub scorpions in the sand to remove any remaining venom. Lunch is served!
Meerkats are highly intelligent
Meerkats are much smarter than they look. A recent study at St Andrews University – Scotland – found meerkats use complex coordinated behaviour, which rivals that of chimps, baboons, dolphins and even humans. They solve tasks with help from their mob but also a bit of independent thought. The study saw meerkats engaged in a wide variety of social and asocial behaviours to solve tasks. In general the social factors helped draw the meerkats into the task, while the asocial processes helped them actually solve it.
Meerkats are omnivores!
You may be surprised to learn meerkats are omnivores – they eat fruit and vegetables as well as animals. Unlike humans, they have no excess body fat stores and therefore foraging for food is a constant activity. Their diet mostly consists of insects, which they sniff out using their enhanced sense of smell. They also eat small rodents, fruit, birds, eggs, lizards and as we’ve seen poisonous scorpions as well as snakes.
The desert is dry but meerkats don’t drink water
Despite living in the desert unbelievably meerkats do not need extra water in their diets. They get all the moisture they need from the insects and grubs they eat. A human would die within 3 – 5 days without additional water.
Meerkat - LR9A1941
Meerkats may be able to handle a bite from some types of venomous snakes. Biologists have discovered meerkats are immune to some snakes' venom as they belong to the mongoose family. In some parts of the world, people prize mongooses as house guards because they can battle with deadly snakes, like cobras. If bitten they feel unwell for serval hours but make a full recovery.
Meerkats are actually pretty tough if you look like lunch
Meerkats may looks absolutely adorable but they lead dangerous lives. They have developed a technique for handling the venom found in scorpions, which they eat. When a scorpion sees a meerkat it moves in quickly for the kill. The scorpion may be aware a meerkat is close by, but it grabs the arachnid so fast it can’t attack. First the meerkat zeroes in on the tail biting off the scorpion's stinger and discarding it. Without its tail the scorpion can’t strike delivering venom. The pincers may cause a nasty nip, but that’s all. There is however still venom on its exoskeleton. To combat this, meerkats have learned to rub scorpions in the sand to remove any remaining venom. Lunch is served!
Meerkats are highly intelligent
Meerkats are much smarter than they look. A recent study at St Andrews University – Scotland – found meerkats use complex coordinated behaviour, which rivals that of chimps, baboons, dolphins and even humans. They solve tasks with help from their mob but also a bit of independent thought. The study saw meerkats engaged in a wide variety of social and asocial behaviours to solve tasks. In general the social factors helped draw the meerkats into the task, while the asocial processes helped them actually solve it.
Meerkats are omnivores!
You may be surprised to learn meerkats are omnivores – they eat fruit and vegetables as well as animals. Unlike humans, they have no excess body fat stores and therefore foraging for food is a constant activity. Their diet mostly consists of insects, which they sniff out using their enhanced sense of smell. They also eat small rodents, fruit, birds, eggs, lizards and as we’ve seen poisonous scorpions as well as snakes.
The desert is dry but meerkats don’t drink water
Despite living in the desert unbelievably meerkats do not need extra water in their diets. They get all the moisture they need from the insects and grubs they eat. A human would die within 3 – 5 days without additional water.