The meerkat or suricate is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family and live in many south African deserts.   These little guys are fun to watch and can stand still for long periods before scampering away. They like to burrow in large underground networks with multiple entrances which they leave only during the day to find food.

One interesting note, they are very social animals. Living in large colonies, they will sometimes kill young members of their group. Subordinate meerkats have been seen killing the offspring of more senior members in order to improve their own offspring’s position. Talk about moving up the social ladder!