What Does Meerkat Mean In South African Language
Meerkats are one of the cutest animals you will ever see. But what does Meerkat mean in South African language? Meerkat is an Afrikaans word. Afrikaans is a language spoken by the Dutch people of South African. Meerkat roughly translate to Marsh Cat. |
The meaning of Meerkat in South African language is quite strange because a Meerkat is not a cat and does not live near marshes. Instead is a kind of mongoose. However, the term Meerkat was coined in 1776.
Basically Meerkats are divided into 3 subspecies. The one in South Africa is called Suricata suricata siricata and the color ranges from brown to orange. The other two subspecies are found in Namibia and Angola. Now scientists believe that there is a fourth subspecies but investigations and research are still on.
Immaterial what does Meerkat mean in South African language, you can spend hours watching them. Their antics are extremely entertaining. Meerkats survive in the wild for up to 10 years but in captivity they seem to fare better and live for up to 15 years. They are born with hair, which is not a complete coat, and their eyes are closed at birth. Although Meerkats are usually not prone to any diseases, they are susceptible to bovine tuberculosis and rabies.
Meerkats live in communities and each community member plays an important role in the well-being of the population. Meerkats hunt during the day unlike normal mongooses, which are nocturnal animals. Meerkats live in burrows, which are made up of complex warrens and numerous access holes.
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