Did you know, dear animal lovers, that the character Timon in the film Lion King is what kind of animal? Actually, the character Timon is a type of Meerkat.
Meerkat aren’t part of the cat family or even squirrels. Instead, they belong to the Mongoose family.
Bali Safari Park, part of the Taman Safari Indonesia Group, is the first wildlife conservation institution in Bali to have this African native species.
Meerkats are mammals that inhabit the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and South Africa. They can grow to be about 24-35 cm in size, weighing no more than 1.3 kg. Because of this, they are often referred to as small mammals. These creatures live in groups called “mobs,” consisting of 15-20 individuals.
WHAT’S UNIQUE ABOUT MEERKAT?
Did you know, dear animal lovers? Each member of the Mob has its own role.
Firstly, there are those who guard the young ones at the hiding place to prevent them from being preyed upon by predators.
Secondly, one or two individuals keep watch over the group. They stand upright on their hind legs, rotating their heads left and right.
Then, when a predator threatens, these animals emit a sound to alert their group, enabling the meerkat to hide quickly.
Meerkats are also social creatures, often hunting for food together. Their diet includes insects, lizards, rodents, birds, and tubers. Moreover, they enjoy hunting scorpions as they are immune to the scorpion venom.
Additionally, meerkats have a black ring around their eyes. This serves to reduce glare from the sunlight and helps detect aerial predators like eagles.
