Talk:Meerkat/Archive 1

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Archive 1

Popular Culture

Don't forget Malcolm the MeerKat, Australian Minor Celebrity spreading love, light and Oreo Wafer crumbs since 2009! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.210.19.139 (talk) 11:06, 4 February 2017 (UTC)

Distribution

The article states that Meerkat are called "sun angels" in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The presence of meerkat in these countries is not reflected on the distribution map. Metatronx (talk) 15:42, 11 October 2012 (UTC)

TURN UPPP! MEERKATS — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.168.202.155 (talk) 22:45, 2 December 2013 (UTC)

Domestication

Just wondering whether it's possible to domesticate meerkats? Jack 21:33, 21 Jun 2005 (UTC)

  • Can we include a link to this page? http://petmeerkats.com/ There are lots of meerkat programmes coming out at the moment so it would be good to have a link disuading people on the page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Eddowding (talk • contribs) 11:09, 19 July 2008 (UTC)
  • It is possible, but not recomended. As far as i know there are very few people actually succeeded in "taming" the meerkat, but these animals retain their wild instincts and even the -so called- tamest of meerkats willnot still bite, scratch and fight with both people and similar sized animals (cats ect). Tekana (O.o) Talk 18:03, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
  • Just adding on to what Tekana said, since Meerkats are territorial and mob oriented, they will attack anything they see as an outsider. So even if you gain their trust, they will still attack anything that gets near you because they percieve it as a threat to their alpha (which would be you) --67.35.192.52 03:08, 25 April 2006 (UTC)
Very good idea. I've added a small new section "Domestication" with http://petmeerkats.com/ as the citation. --Stfg (talk) 13:04, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

I Botany44 would like to add to the artical-General information: Meerkats are small mammals who are most closely related to the mongooses. They are colonial animals, so they are very social within their own group. Behaviors that make this evident are that they will share food, and groom, snuggle and lick each other often, as well as before settling down to sleep in a large pile similar to canine puppies. Meerkats form groups in order to survive. Being such small animals, they are very susceptible to larger predators. However, when they are part of a larger group, there is a division of labor, a sharing of resources, and greater strength in numbers. Meerkats perform specific roles, hence the division of labor. The members of the group specialize in one of these specific roles, such as guard duty, babysitting the young, foraging, and sharing food. Even though each member has his or her own job, the meerkats are relieved of their duties by others so that they can eat. Each takes a turn at babysitting and guard duty for short periods of time. These duties are exhausting, and the willingness to share the labor displays the cohesion of the group.

As seen by their sleeping arrangements, the meerkats are a closely knit group. This closeness is evident in the daytime as well. During the day, the meerkats forage for food out in the open savannah. This could be dangerous, but each member of the group takes a turn at guard duty by pausing briefly to stand erect and scan the skies for pedators. At other times, one of the meerkats who has specialized in guard duty will perch as high as 12 feet on a branch to watch the skies. His constant peeping lets the group know that the skies are clear.

When one guard is relieved by the other, he is very hungry. This is due to the fact that meerkats are used to eating every few minutes. At each step they paw and sniff the ground until they smell food. They then begin a digging frenzy, sending the sand flying, until they capture the prey. They can move their own weight in sand in a matter of seconds, which is important when their dinner is running away.

The sand also flies when the meerkats use their specialized claws to dig burrows. These burrows are extensive passages that can cover many underground miles. They are used for sleeping, escaping from predators and the hot sun, and raising their kits to maturity.

Although meerkats are very social within their own group, they are very intent upon driving away intruders. They will either group together when threatened to form what appears to be a giant, hissing animal, or they will fiercely drive another group of meerkats out of their territory. This second behavior is done by performing a type off "war dance" that consists of each meerkat jumping higher and higher in the air and jeering loudly. They progressively move forward, then suddenly stop and start vigorously pawing the ground. This action causes what looks like smoke signals to rise into the air. The war dance and smoke signals are the meerkat's way of intimidating outsiders by making themselves appear stronger and more numerous. Special anatomical, physiological or behavioral adaptations: Meerkats have developed an immunity to scorpion stings that can paralyze a grown man or kill a small child. They also have black patches of fur around their eyes that function as a sort of built in pair of sunglasses. The meerkats live in groups instead of singly. This provides a better chance for survival due to the greater protection of the group, a sharing of resources, and a division of labor. One particular job a meerkat can do is to teach the young how to hunt. This is accomplished by the meerkat running around the kits with a tasty insect in her mouth and trying to get the kits to take it away from her.

Another behavioral adaptation related to group survival is banding together to form what appears to be a giant, hissing animal, as was mentioned previously. This is achieved by grouping tightly together, fluffing up their fur, and surging forward with their teeth bared and tails held high. Research biologist David W. Macdonald of Oxford University reported seeing this behavior. The meerkats drove off a much larger jackal and a bat-eared fox who had invaded their territory in this manner.


Personal observations: When the Meerkat Mounds exhibit first opened up in 1997, there were many babies among the population. The babies are extremely small and cute. They are also watched very closely by the adult meerkats. Even in the somewhat safe environment of the zoo, the adults are constantly raising up on their hind legs to keep watch for predators. However, now that the babies are grown, the meerkats seem to be more relaxed. There is one definite guard, and the rest of the group seems relatively unconcerned with the zoo patrons. They eat, play, and sun themselves without a worry. When the meerkats are not busy eating, playing, and warming themselves in the sun, they enjoy watching the zoo patrons. They are very curious and will focus on one particular person, who they will seem to "study".5/20/08 9:43pm

Litter count

It the reproduction part of the article, it says they have on average 3 per litter. Then in same paragraph it says the most common number per litter is 4. I know that an average and a mean can be different... but is this right? Fepple 15:19, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

There's no contradiction here. The article states that a litter size can be "1 to 5" and that "the most common number" is 4. The range of web comics a single person has made can be anywhere from, say, 0 to 503 but I would bet dollars to donuts that "the most common number" is 0. Also, an average and a mean are the same thing; a mean and a median are different. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 164.67.232.74 (talk) 15:51, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Scientific classification

Isnt it Suricata and not Suricatta? -- 82.42.81.88 18:20, 8 February 2006

It's suricata suricatta [1]; suricata is the genus, suricatta is the species. They are also known as suricates. --Kevin L'Huillier 03:30, 5 June 2006 (UTC)

Colony size

The German page states 30 animals in a colony the English 40 animals. What's true now? Sancassania 17.7.2006 GMT

The Whiskers, stars of Meerkat Manor, reached 40 during the season 1-season 2 gap, but reduced in number then to only 38 now.The people that filmed the show, were probably very good people. Cruise meerkat 18:27, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

the colony size can be up to 30 to 40 meerkats together — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.168.202.155 (talk) 22:43, 2 December 2013 (UTC)

Meerkats teach

if anybody stumbles upon this comment and has the will/time, it was recently discovered that meerkats are among the very few species that "teach." http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060713-meerkats.html i'm sure the link will be dead before too long so http://www.google.com/search?q=meerkats+teach Dreamer.redeemer 01:57, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I added a quick paragraph to the article. Others should supplement and copyedit what i wrote. --Kevin L'Huillier 03:44, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Eating habits

There seems to be a bit of a contradiction: Under "Anatomy", the articles states: "and eat scorpions (including the stinger)", under "Behavior" it states: "Meerkat adults educate children how to eat a venomous scorpion. They will remove the stinger and help the pup learn how to handle the creature." So, do they eat the stinger or not? 82.135.12.17anon

Most of the time they don't eat the stinger, but once in a while they might. Cruise meerkat 18:28, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

"Helpers typically kill or disable prey with rapid bites to the head or abdomen before provisioning pups. Scorpions are normally disabled by removing the sting" [Thornton & McAuliffe 2006: page 227]--Scharrtier 18:45, 21 July 2007 (UTC)
  • Thornton, A. & McAuliffe, K. (2006): Teaching in wild meerkats. In: Science, Volume 313, S. 227-229

Rabies

According to http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Suricata_suricatta.html meerkat are significant carriers of rabies. There is also a vaccine which can be used. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sittingduck123 (talk • contribs) 14:17, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

The advert with 4 meerkats on

  • The advertisement poster [2] with the meerkats, and variations of it, is familiar in England on posters, not only on the WWW, and is here as an example of the popular image of meerkats. I have no connection with the firm, it is not spam. Anthony Appleyard 05:07, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
  • I believe that this link should NOT be included in an encyclopedia. It is inappropriate, makes the project seem cheap and has no place on Wikipedia, no matter how familiar it is in England. Abbott75 05:11, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

How is that inappropiate? Cruise meerkat 18:28, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

Name Meaning

It says meerkats and guenons are not attracted to lakes. Don't know about guenons, but the "lake" in its name may refer to how meerkats bathe sometimes when they find standing water. Cruise meerkat 18:31, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

In this sense the word 'meer' means 'more', thus literally 'meerkat' would translate to 'more-cat'. The expression, such as, "the animal looks more like a cat than a dog" (resembles a cat more) is commonly used in the region to express doubt or to compare things. Kest (talk) 16:44, 21 March 2012 (UTC)

puppies

I think there should be a section about meerkat pup's including an image or 2 as there to show what the cutie's look like Richardson j 00:39, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

puppies

If there were to be a section on meerkat pups, then it should feature specific facts about them; like irregular health problems, or certain behaviors. A section with just images would not be informative. --DavidD4scnrt (talk) 06:47, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Photos

Here are a couple of photos I took at the San Diego Zoo last month. I thought they might be interesting as they show some of the meerkat's social behavior and their pups. Use them (or don't) as you see fit. -- mattb 04:07, 7 April 2008 (UTC)


I also had a photo of a meerkat that I took showing one that is in a bush with small branches, have not seen one like that on the commons so I uploaded it. -- VVHeavyVv (talk) 23:23, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

Scientific name needs a little clarification.

Currently we have:

" The scientific name suricate comes from the Swahili language and it means "rock-cat"."

That needs a rewrite/typo correction in any case.

Is the Swahili suricate or suricata? Suricata the original or a Latinization?

And what is the explanation for the two TT's (if accurate) in Suricata suricatta ?

And BTW what is a Swahili name doing in south-western (rather than East) Africa? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.204.182.18 (talk) 11:48, 24 September 2008 (UTC)

The name does not come not come from Swahili, that is nonsense. "Rock" in Swahili is mwamba or jiwe, but nothing like "suri"; a "cat" is paka. Besides: there are no suricata in the Swahili-speaking countries. The "cata/catta" is definitely a European root and I think that a Latin etymology is sensible. The wiktionary entries give "Latin: Syria + cat". I just wonder about Syria so there is probably a story to go with this name choice. (I just changed the entry for suricata back, a user had entered the Swahili explanation -from this wikipedia article?- after I posed the question on the talk page why it is called "Syrian". --Kipala (talk) 18:21, 2 January 2009 (UTC)
NB: This Russian dictionary claims etymology from a native Name from South Africa. In that case it could be some Africaans (because of "cate") alternative to meerkat. But then the descriptions give as an alternative name "Yellow mongoose" which is, however, also described as a different animal. Same from this Russian dictionary for a scientific former name "Cynictis penicillata" (http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/cide/172439) and two different scientific authorities, either Johann Christian von Schreber or Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest. --Kipala (talk) 19:03, 2 January 2009 (UTC)

Alpha pair

I think more details are needed about what the status and behaviour of the Alpha pair are. For example, do only the Alpha's breed, or are all members of a meerkat gang allowed to do so? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Doug1984 (talk • contribs) 14:37, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

All members are able to breed, and often do, but the dominant female will often evict other pregnant females in the few weeks before her pups are to give her own pups a better chance of survival. If her pups are the only ones, there's a higher helper-to-pup ratio, not to mention the fact that evicting other females minimises the chance of them comitting infanticide to give their own pups a better chance of eventually becoming dominant.

As for the males, pretty much all of them often go roving which means that not all pups have to be fathered by the alpha. Lowri (talk) 11:59, 31 August 2009 (UTC) Meerkats

I agree that more clarification is necessary here, particularly about what distinguishes the alpha pair from the rest of the group. An itemized list of problems:

  • Does eviction mean that females are driven from the group, or that they are permitted to stay but are reproductively inhibited by the alpha female? If the former is true, this would seem to decrease the number of helpers as well as the number of pups.
  • The "pair" part of the "alpha pair" term is also problematic. From what is written and cited, the alpha female mates with multiple males, and, as Lowri's addition states, all males are roving. If that is the case, what makes a male an "alpha?" It seems that "dominance behaviors" are displayed primarily by the female.
  • Given the confusion over this, the complete lack of citation in this section is pretty troubling.

--PanzA1370 (talk) 07:38, 20 June 2010 (UTC)

Meerkats and prairie dogs

Meerkats and prairie dogs seem to have very similar behavior. Can anyone who knows more about these two species, please add a section about the similarities to the meerkat and prairie dog pages. I think a section like that will be really interesting. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.66.187.172 (talk) 17:46, 14 June 2009 (UTC)

Link to Earthwatch

Is it possible to add this link? * Earthwatch.org recruits volunteers to help with meerkat research. Thank you. MaryatEarthwatch (talk) 19:36, 21 July 2009 (UTC)

Hi MaryatEarthwatch. Thank you for asking first, instead of adding the link. Your proposed link is giving details for an expedition, and is not directly giving information about Meerkats in general - the guidelines for links are here: WP:EL. Wikipedia should be more about content rather then external links, so you want you could expand Earthwatch and give an overview of the wildlife conservation projects - that article needs expansion anyway :) Rror (talk) 22:38, 21 July 2009 (UTC)

Semiprotection review

  • 04:55, 3 May 2008 Anthony Appleyard protected Meerkat ‎ (11 vandalisms by anonymous users in the last fortnight [edit=autoconfirmed:move=autoconfirmed])
    That was nearly 18 months ago. I'd like to review that to see if semiprotection is still considered necessary. As well as welcoming opinions from regular editors I've contacted Anthony Appleyard, the protecting admin. --TS 17:22, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
  • OK, I have unprotected it. Anthony Appleyard (talk) 20:35, 23 September 2009 (UTC)

Compare the meerkat/comparethemarket.com

This is a very famous UK commercial featuring meerkats, it should be on this site.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.100.217.82 (talk) 22:04, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

I agree. I think there should be a short section named something like "Cultural depictions" near the end, briefly describing the commercial, the Meerkat Manor TV programme and the Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins. What do others think?--A bit iffy (talk) 19:49, 18 January 2010 (UTC)
No. No more than Pinky and Perky in Pig. --Tasty monster 08:04, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

EDITING OF ARTICLE FACILITY??

I'm wondering why there is no access to edit the article on 'Meerkats'?? In one of the opening paragraphs for instance, it states that meerkats have black patches around their eyes "to deflect the sun", but it is known fact that black does not deflect/reflect, but 'absorbs' - white reflects the sun. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.181.67.197 (talk) 21:58, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

The article is protected from being edited by new or anon users, please sign up for an account to be able to edit this article. ZooPro 22:13, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

Reproduction section

Needs some rewriting - shifts from 'the alpha pair' to 'it' - somewhat confusing. Jackiespeel (talk) 17:21, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Webcam suggestion

I notice that this article is semi-protected. I was going to add a link to a webcam of a Meerkat enclosure (http://www.knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk/webcam_meerkats.asp). Do people think this would be okay? RoyalBlueStuey (talk) 17:26, 9 March 2010 (UTC)

Etymology

Merriam-Webster says: "Etymology: Afrikaans, from Dutch, a kind of monkey, from Middle Dutch meercatte monkey, from meer sea + catte cat" So while "meer" means "lake" in modern Dutch, it seems to have meant "sea" in Middle Dutch as it still does in German. The German entry for Guenon (de:Meerkatzen) states that the name might have arisen from the similarity to cats and the fact that they came from overseas. The meaning than changed from Guenons to Meerkats in Afrikaans. Any opinions on that? --Mudd1 (talk) 15:38, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

The name is not related to water. It comes from the Dutch and Afrikaans word for "more" - the early Dutch settlers in South Africa decided that it was more cat than dog ("meer kat dan hond").Jpr821 (talk) 08:10, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

I would like to add, I saw someone correcting you on the word "meer." It have two different meanings in Afrikaans, either lake or more. Growing up on a farm in the Kalahari, I have been exposed to these little animals and are very fond of them. I have brought some up and took care of them and if you look at its behaviour you will see that they actually meant that this animal is more cat than anything else, because they didn't really know what to call it they used this name. A few pointers that may help on that: They have a coarse tongue like a ordinary house cat, because it grooms/cleans itself by licking a lot. If properly trained it uses a sandbox just like a cat. It even sometimes dig a hole to do urinate or poo, but also forgets to close the hole! Our housecats like catching small prey like rodents, locusts, lizzards etc. My little meerkat wants to kill my pet rat, because he sees it as food (natural prey.) I know they are insect eaters, but I just want to say it is a common thing for a cat to also catch it. Meerkats climb trees in order to take guard duty, cats climb trees. Ever heard about "curiosity killed the cat?" Meerkats are as curious as hell. This is just to name but a few, and I think the name is misinterpreted as "lake cat" instead of "more cat" due to its "catlike" behaviour.Regards Lani41.63.218.207 (talk) 14:55, 10 January 2012 (UTC)

Regardless of what the actual Etymology of the Meerkat is, what it currently says contains guaranteed errors, as Meer is not the Dutch word for Sea, but for Lake or More. So either the sea bit has to be changed to lake, Dutch has to be changed to middle-Dutch, or the entire Etymology has to be changed.101.98.220.147 (talk) 06:29, 19 January 2015 (UTC)

Changed according to this source. Materialscientist (talk) 06:46, 19 January 2015 (UTC)

Distribution

The distribution map of the meerkat is horribly wrong. Please refer to Skinner, JD and Chimimba, CT. 2005. 'The mammals of the Southern African subregion' Third edition. Cambridge University Press. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Burnmeister (talk • contribs) 10:34, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

You're right. I've removed the map from the taxobox. A correct one can be seen on the IUCN page (reference 1) in any case, so it's no great loss. (Note: I've moved this item to its correct place in time order. It's best to use the New section button. Then your new section is automatically put in the right place.) --Stfg (talk) 12:37, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

"Altruistic Behavior"

I am concerned about applying the label "altruistic" to some of the meerkat behaviors. As pointed out in the article cited in the "meerkats teach" section of this Talk page [1], the group or "mob" is extremely important to meerkat survival. The large number of meerkats in the mob is leveraged to intimidate predators and, as a result, the larger a group is, the more resistant it is to predation. Where the wellbeing of each individual is so linked to that of the other individuals in the group, the "sentry," "active teaching," and "babysitting" behaviors can't truly be termed altruistic or selfless, as the survival of group members, particularly that of pups, benefits everyone.

The use of this term also leads to the following juxtaposition: "Despite this altruistic behaviour, meerkats sometimes kill young members of their group..." The implication that arises is that there is something contradictory about meerkat behavior, when what seems more plausible is that these function as group size controls: too small a group will result in increased predation, while too large a group will exhaust available resources. I am not offering this explanation as a substitution, but to illustrate that the use of "altruistic" anthropomorphizes and ascribes to meerkat behavior a motivation that has not been proven to exist. I don't know that I can think of a single word adjective replacement, but honestly, the article would be just as strong if the current phrasing were simply eliminated. PanzA1370 (talk) 06:55, 20 June 2010 (UTC)

I don't see the problem. Indirect benefits are usually present in cases of altruism. I think articles using the term are describing action, not motivation. See also http://science.jrank.org/pages/48733/Reciprocal-Altruism.html Billebrooks (talk) 01:09, 2 July 2010 (UTC)
I was under the impression that meerkats weren't altruistic at all; guarding is optimal, rather than altruistic. See Clutton-Brock et al. (1999). — Preceding unsigned comment added by Srellid (talk • contribs) 20:24, 22 September 2011 (UTC)

References

  1. ^ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060713-meerkats.html

File:Meerkat feb 09.jpg to appear as POTD soon

Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:Meerkat feb 09.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on January 19, 2011. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2011-01-19. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page so Wikipedia doesn't look bad. :) Thanks! howcheng {chat} 17:53, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Meerkat
The meerkat (Suricata suricatta) is a small member of the mongoose family native to the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa. They are social animals, living underground in groups of 20 to 50 members. Although the name means "lake cat" in Dutch, meerkats are not cats, nor are they attracted to lakes.Photo: Fir0002
Archive – More featured pictures...

Other Language Link

I need to add a link for same article in Urdu. How can I edit this protected page?--قیصرانی (talk) 08:57, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Hi قیصرانی,
What's the Meerkat article in urdu? Joerg, the BajanZindy (talk) 11:36, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Name Origin

I have removed all the unsourced information in the "Name" section, I would advise that it not be re-added unless a verifiable source can be listed. At present I have included the bare/basic origin per a reference/source that I have included. Please do not re-add the name information without discussion on the talk page first, the article itself is not a place for constant changing and re-changing of the name origins, discuss here first then if a verifiable/notable source can be found the information can be added back. ZooPro 02:57, 26 January 2011 (UTC)

Correct English

The word venom is an uncountable noun and s cannot be added to the end of it. The sentence 'Meekats are immune to certain venoms[sic].' should be rewritten as 'Meerkats are immune to certain types of venom'. Grammar Prof (talk) 11:56, 18 April 2011 (UTC)

 Done, Thanks ZooPro 14:59, 18 April 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from 132.77.4.129, 4 July 2011

Meerkats in popular culture:

"Life of Pi" : a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001.

132.77.4.129 (talk) 06:24, 4 July 2011 (UTC)

Added to Meerkat per request. Jim1138 (talk) 09:03, 4 July 2011 (UTC)

Someone should remove this

"Meerkats have been known to engage in social activities, including what appear to be wrestling matches and foot races." For real? Meerkats having 'wrestling matches'? I don't know who tought of this, but it sounds utterly stupid. If anything, it was probably fighting for dominance or a mate. I'm not even going to start on the idea of meerkats having foot races... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 137.224.237.6 (talk) 23:57, 6 March 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 24 May 2012

Name lake cat should be changed to more cat, see explanation below which can by useful information to add to your article. I would like to make a correction on the word meerkat itself. The word "meer" has more than one meaning in Afrikaans or Dutch as stated. "Meer" means lake, that is correct, but it also means "more." Due to the meerkat's cat like behaviour, climbing into old dry trees/branches to be on the look out, a coarse tongue used for grooming like a cat, catching and eating small rodents like mice and rats (my pet suricate constantly tries to prey on my pet rat), being nocturnal, one of the sounds made when we as a family are being warned sounds like a franctic cat miauwing repeatedly, when playing with us it arches its back in a playful way with its mouth open and teeth showing, looking just like a cat warning you to stay away and even digging a small hole to pee in, made Dutch/Afrikaans people observing this give its name due to the little unkown animal being more cat than anything else. Thus "more cat"/"meerkat." Hope my information is useful, I grew up with these little animals, being on the farm thus very exposed to wildlife and their behaviour. Today I have a suricate living with me on the farm, its mom being run over by a vehicle, i found them on my way to town. Strange that being a social/family animal, this mother being alone with a pup, so I did some research and read your article about only aplhas being priviledged to have offspring, perhaps she fled with him, trying to protect her baby. I saved a small dehydrated bundle of fur, no bigger than a pet rat on the roadside that day, not looking back it is my pride and joy today, guarding me like a dog. 41.182.255.146 (talk) 13:49, 24 May 2012 (UTC)

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Etymology is a tricky subject, and what is logical isn't neccessarily right. --Six words (talk) 23:36, 27 May 2012 (UTC)

In popular culture

I noticed that this is a section which tends to get deleted/cleaned and then rebuilt over time. For instance, [3], and then because it's protected we keep seeing requests for additions on this talk page, like for The Life Of Pi (the movie and novel that actually made me curious about reading this article)... What should be done? Should this section not exist, or should it be enhanced? Should we find some article that discusses Meerkat use in popular culture, only mention those, and if we can't find this, delete the section? Of course there also is the issue about trivia and ever-growing lists... 76.10.128.192 (talk) 04:22, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 23 November 2012

Popular culture section, meerkats are referenced in The Life of Pi. 24.16.207.235 (talk) 03:54, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

How important a role do they play in the work? Are they just incidental or in the background? I see that our articles for both book and movie only mention meerkats once. Rivertorch (talk) 06:44, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

Edit request

There are dead links in the References section of the Meerkat article. Specifically: Refrerence 4 correct link is http://ladywildlife.com/viewmainpageinfo.php?pid=meerkat Reference 5 cannot access the link and cannot find a correct link for this site Reference 10 requires an authorized login to get the article

Egriesba (talk) 00:34, 20 November 2013 (UTC)

I replaced link 4 the ladywildlife.com link. The statement: "Meerkats are immune to the poison from a scorpion or a snake." is in error as there is at least one snake whose venem will kill meerkats, at least according to Meerkat Manor. Also dead-linked [5]. Any suggestions on replacements for the other two links? That would be helpful. Cheers Jim1138 (talk) 00:54, 20 November 2013 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 12 March 2014

Domestication Meerkats don't usually make good pets, as they have sharp teeth and claws. But Meerkats who have been reared from birth by humans can make good pets, if handled regularly and even laugh when tickled.[1] 77.98.222.6 (talk) 02:40, 12 March 2014 (UTC)

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. This Youtube video does not qualify. --ElHef (Meep?) 14:19, 12 March 2014 (UTC)

References

  1. ^ Meerkat, Man. "Laughing Meerkat". Youtube. Youtube. Retrieved 12 March 2014.

Semi-protected edit request on 24 July 2014

The bottom of the page, group Meerkat groups Last word Fissioning needs a link, I didn't know what that was and had to look it up!

[[4]] MLCarter1976 (talk) 10:57, 24 July 2014 (UTC)

Partly done: I've rephrased the sentence in a way that is hopefully easier to understand. —Mr. Granger (talk · contribs) 14:07, 24 July 2014 (UTC)

Why are snakes unlucky?

The article states "If they are unlucky, sometimes they share their burrow with snakes". Why does this make them unlucky? Previously, the article states that they can be killed by bites from puff adders and Cape cobras, but it wouldn't make sense that they would share their burrows with a natural predator. Can the unlucky comment be explained?192.249.47.204 (talk) 19:28, 3 October 2014 (UTC)

Edit request: Under Diet and Foraging Behavior, "plants" are listed among the examples of "other animals."

... and "eggs" as well. Please fix this. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:3:2000:3C1:C83F:EC6F:54A8:D293 (talk) 19:30, 21 December 2014 (UTC)

An assumption that bugs me:

"Usually, the alpha pair reserves the right to mate and normally kills any young not its own, to ensure that its offspring has the best chance of survival."

This is an observed behavior but it's nothing more than an assumption that the alpha pair (actually it's generally the female) do this for the specific reason given. I suspect that no reasoning is involved at all and that they behave this way due to an evolved instinct. But even if it seems to make sense, it shouldn't be characterized as unquestionable fact. Perhaps the insertion of a word like "apparently" or "presumably" would be appropriate here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:3:2000:3C1:C83F:EC6F:54A8:D293 (talk) 19:45, 21 December 2014 (UTC)

External links modified

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Unprotect the article

I can't really see a reason why this article is protected. The vast majority of editors just don't bother posting here for suggestins corrections. Since it is not a controversial topic, I personally believe that this page should obviously not be protected forever (as it has been for a decade). 177.205.95.203 (talk) 03:58, 21 August 2016 (UTC)

See wp:rfpp#Current requests for reduction in protection level Jim1138 (talk) 09:07, 21 August 2016 (UTC)
It was indef-protected in 2010 for excessive vandalism. The vast majority of vandals won't bother posting here for suggesting corrections. A topic doesn't have to be controversial to be a vandal target; in fact many topics studied by grade-school students are often vandalized on Wikipedia by those students. But if you want to request unprotection at WP:RFPP, by all means do so. ~Amatulić (talk) 21:38, 21 August 2016 (UTC)

File:Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) Tswalu.jpg to appear as POTD soon

Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) Tswalu.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on April 6, 2017. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2017-04-06. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page. — Chris Woodrich (talk) 23:08, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

Meerkats in the Kalahari
A family, or mob, of meerkats (Suricata suricatta) in the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa. Meerkats, members of the mongoose family, are primarily insectivores, though they may eat other small animals or plants. They are social animals that live in groups of twenty or more. Meerkat family dynamics were featured in the series Meerkat Manor, first aired in 2005.Photograph: Charles J. Sharp
Archive – More featured pictures...

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Misidentification

"The name has a Dutch origin, but by misidentification."
That's an odd claim, assuming that the ones who named it in 1801 already knew the basics of evolution and didn't just go by appearance. There's nothing at seahorse about that being a misidentification. I'm also dubious about the claim that it came from India. Etymology online says "meerkat" was already attested in Germanic languages before any contact with India had been made. Prinsgezinde (talk) 21:37, 2 April 2018 (UTC)

Recent photo additions

As these span a number of articles: please discuss recent photo additions by SpaceMusk at User_talk:SpaceMusk#Photo additions. --Elmidae (talk · contribs) 17:48, 8 March 2019 (UTC)

GA Review

GA toolbox
Reviewing
This review is transcluded from Talk:Meerkat/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Chiswick Chap (talk · contribs) 10:27, 29 April 2020 (UTC)

I'll sit up for this one... Chiswick Chap (talk) 10:27, 29 April 2020 (UTC)

Comments

  • Um, if the eusocial line is 19 mya then the meerkat line can't be 20 mya.....
  • Oops, the wording of the paper confused me. "19.1" is correct for meerkats. Done.
  • It's no part of GA but it would be lovely to have small images in the phylogenetic tree.
  • I have seen illustrations being used for images in trees, not sure I can find those for every species. Let me know if we can do with real life photographs.
Yes, as long as the backgrounds aren't distracting. Basically, small icons need white or very pale flat backgrounds to be recognisable.
Done for the eusocial species, in places (wherever I could find decent images). Thankfully found one for each group. Sainsf (knock knock · am I there?) 22:32, 30 April 2020 (UTC)
Amazing how much more readable that is.
  • Also no part of GA, but it'd be nice to find a fossil image.
  • Haven't come across any. I remember there was a mention of a fossil species Suricata major in one of my sources but just one line or two with nothing much to go upon.
  • I've trimmed a couple of labels in the tree and made a few small tweaks to the text.
  • Thanks for the edits.
  • "Eusociality" is currently mentioned only in the tree, and in 'See also'. Perhaps it should be mentioned and linked in the text (and remove the 'See also' item).
  • I have linked it in the lead, taxonomy and ecology introduction.
  • Are all the eusocial clade in Africa? If so, why not say that.
  • Good point. I will add it.
  • It is correctly mentioned that there are different alarm calls but little is made of this. Perhaps there should be an alarm call or "Vocal communication" subsection with an image of a predator, suitably captioned about meerkats having a call for this class of threat, etc.
  • Right, I should have paid more attention to it. I am thinking of a new "Predator response and vocalisations" section after Social structure and before Burrowing to make things clear. Same for the nature of risk point below.
  • Uploaded [5]. I will use it after I write the vocalisation and predator response section.
  • Currently the text says "able to perceive the nature of the risk", but that's not the point: it is that they can a) perceive b) transmit and c) receive and act on the specifically communicated threat, i.e. there is a simple fixed "language" (nouns only, I guess!) in use. The Royal Society paper uses the term "[signal] Receivers" and we should have something of the same here.
  • Done. Expanded much more with new sources and text rearranged to focus on vocalisations. Sainsf (knock knock · am I there?) 18:21, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
  • Done
  • "division of labour" - should say this is not fixed as in ant castes, but is age-based; and it needs to be hooked in somehow to Reproduction as breeding is mainly by the dominant female (who is not as dominant as a queen ant or bee, though they have gamergates too). Probably needs additional citation(s).
  • I will see what I can find on division of labour while making it clear that the dominant female is the one to reproduce.. not sure I can find citations to connect it with ants but let's see.
I mentioned ants and bees to make the point. Of course, sources may well do the same thing. Clutton-Brock et al 2004 say "division of labour between breeders and helpers in meerkats is intermediate between that of facultatively cooperative species, where parents are principally responsible for rearing young, and that of specialized eusocial species [i.e. ants and bees], which show a well-defined division of labour between breeders and workers."
Done. I rewrote and rearranged the material and added some more sources. Sainsf (knock knock · am I there?) 15:36, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
  • The word "Meerkat" is used rather too often in the image captions.
  • Fixed
  • "moreover, they protect meerkats in harsh weather" - perhaps "moreover, burrowing protects..."
  • Done
  • "hunt small mammals by biting" - no, they kill by biting; they hunt by searching and digging.
  • Fixed.

That's about it from me. A fascinating article. Chiswick Chap (talk) 11:01, 29 April 2020 (UTC)

Thank you very much for taking this. I have responded to most of the points, and will deal with the others in a day or two. I have just started working on more complicated articles like this and Cheetah, so it means a lot if they receive good feedback. Cheers, Sainsf (knock knock · am I there?) 17:45, 29 April 2020 (UTC)
Many thanks. Looking forward to the rest. Chiswick Chap (talk) 18:59, 29 April 2020 (UTC)
All issues have been addressed now I guess. Cheers, Sainsf (knock knock · am I there?) 18:21, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
I hope you're pleased with the result, which seems to me to be a more robust article. I've added a couple of links and done some very minor copy-editing. Great work! Chiswick Chap (talk) 07:11, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
Thank you so much for guiding me how to organize and expand the material and pointing out great sources (and of course your edits)! I was wondering if this has FAC potential, as I don't think there is a lot more to add to the article except may be in the human section? Thought of asking you as you often deal with cultural topics.. and there is a main pop culture article here but I am not sure it's a great list and if this were to be an FAC would it need to cover things better? Sainsf · (How ya doin'?) 07:20, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
I'm no expert on FAC, other than to advise checking all the citations very carefully. I'd have thought the culture section not too bad but who knows. Chiswick Chap (talk) 07:23, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
Sure, no problem :) Sainsf · (How ya doin'?) 07:25, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Cwmhiraeth (talk) 06:01, 21 May 2020 (UTC)

(
)
Meerkats
Meerkats

Improved to Good Article status by Sainsf (talk). Self-nominated at 08:02, 2 May 2020 (UTC).


General: Article is new enough and long enough
Policy: Article is sourced, neutral, and free of copyright problems
Hook: Hook has been verified by provided inline citation
Image: Image is freely licensed, used in the article, and clear at 100px.
QPQ: Done.

Overall: —valereee (talk) 20:37, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

  • Sainsf, I'm wondering if we might do a closer crop on that image? DYK images are so small, at this size the photo looks almost like a painting. —valereee (talk) 20:53, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
  • Thanks for the review. Sure, we can crop it, or maybe use this clearer pic [6] also there in the article? Sainsf · (How ya doin'?) 20:58, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
That's a good one, too, though we might actually want to crop it a bit also. Hard to tell until we actually see it at that size. I do love the first image, though, the colors are striking. And of course the composition is good, which we'd lose a bit of with a crop. Hm. —valereee (talk) 21:08, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
Yeah I have the same concern about cropping the first pic. How does the second pic look at 100px? Sainsf · (How ya doin'?) 21:21, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
  • I much prefer ALT0; for me it's by far the most interesting. I'm trying to check all parts. I see that 'the caller itself' is supported by the article sentence Meerkat calls carry information to identify the signaling individual or pack, but meerkats do not appear to differentiate between calls from different sources which has a source. 'Type of predator' seems to be supported by For instance, upon hearing a terrestrial predator alarm call, meerkats are most likely to scan the area and move towards the source of the call, while an aerial predator alarm call would most likely cause them to crouch down which does not have a citation at the sentence, it'll need one.

'Level of danger' seems to be supported by This indicates that meerkats are able to perceive the nature of the risk and the degree of urgency, also does not have a citation at the sentence. —valereee (talk) 21:15, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

  • I see. The citation for the last 2 parts is at the end of the paragraph containing the line (which has both pieces of info), after the examples. Do you recommend putting the citations at the end of this line "This indicates that meerkats...transmit it and respond accordingly"? Sainsf · (How ya doin'?) 21:21, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
Sainsf, anywhere within or just after the sentences is good enough; your choice. The rule is simply that all parts of a hook must be cited at the sentence. It's to make it easy for readers to be able to check DYK hook content for themselves without having to possibly read several source documents. —valereee (talk) 21:23, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
Right, forgot that. I have fixed these issues now. Sainsf · (How ya doin'?) 21:28, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
For instance, upon hearing a terrestrial predator alarm call, meerkats are most likely to scan the area and move towards the source of the call, while an aerial predator alarm call would most likely cause them to crouch down still doesn't have a citation. —valereee (talk) 11:57, 4 May 2020 (UTC)
  • ALT1 has two parts. 'Burrows have temperature gradients' seems to be supported by Outside temperatures are not reflected at once within burrows; instead there is usually an eight-hour lag which creates a temperature gradient in warrens, so that burrows are coolest in daytime and warmest at night. which does not have a citation at the sentence. 'Helps them survive' is supported by This reduces the need for meerkats to thermoregulate individually by providing a comfortable microclimate within burrows; moreover burrowing protects meerkats in harsh weather and at extreme temperatures, also needs a citation. —valereee (talk) 21:20, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
This reduces the need for meerkats to thermoregulate individually by providing a comfortable microclimate within burrows; moreover burrowing protects meerkats in harsh weather and at extreme temperatures still needs a citation. —valereee (talk) 11:57, 4 May 2020 (UTC)
  • ALT2 is supported by The meerkat has a specialised thermoregulation system that helps it survive in its harsh desert habitat. A study showed that its body temperature follows a diurnal rhythm, averaging 38.3 °C (100.9 °F) during the day and 36.3 °C (97.3 °F) at night, also needs a citation. —valereee (talk) 21:21, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
ALT2 approved, but I think ALT0 is better for general interest, so I'd love to see that one fully cited at the one last place we need it! —valereee (talk) 11:57, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

@Valereee: Should be all sorted now. Is there an issue with the QPQ? Sainsf · (How ya doin'?) 12:48, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

Whoops, no! Somehow I missed it earlier, sorry! Good to go now, all hooks approved with a preference for ALT0 and original image! —valereee (talk) 13:05, 4 May 2020 (UTC)
  • @Valereee: I came by to promote this, but I do not understand your insistence on the first image. At thumbnail size, it just looks orange. If a good, clear image cannot be found (the clearest in the article is the one of the pups), we'll have to run it in a non-image slot. Yoninah (talk) 20:47, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
Yoninah, yeah, I know. In thumbnail it's not good, unfortunately. It's just that once you click on it, it's stupendous. It's fine to choose a different image, this one may just not work for DYK —valereee (talk) 20:52, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
Here's the pups:
—valereee (talk) 21:00, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
Here's a crop on the original
Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) Tswalu (cropped)
Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) Tswalu (cropped)
—valereee (talk) 21:28, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
Pups might not be good for representation of the species. I think this pic of a standing meerkat (an FP) looks excellent even at 100px, and it can replace the pic under Physical characteristics in the article. Though that would not allow the readers to see the banded pattern if it has to stay in the article forever. Can we change it back to the original pic in the article once the DYK is done? Sainsf · (How ya doin'?) 03:41, 12 May 2020 (UTC)
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