©Copyright Animal Parties 2007

©Copyright Animal Parties 2007

 

Carnivore
An animal whose main diet consists of meat.
Herbivore
An animals whose main diet consists of plant, vegetable & fruit matter
Omnivore
An animal whose diet consists of meat, plant, vegetable & fruit matter in similar quantities
Insectivore
An animal whose main diet consists of insects
Captivity
An animal that is cared for in an artificial environment
Habitat
The environment in which the animal survives & thrives
Diurnal
An animal which is active during day light hours
Nocturnal
An animal which is active during the night time
Crepuscular
An animal which is most active at dawn & dusk
Predator
An animal which hunts other animals for food
Prey
An animal which is hunted by a predator
Bird
An animal with warm blood, egg laying & with feathers covering their body. Most have the ability to fly
Reptile
A cold blooded animal with a protective skin, scales or shell covering the body. Most lay eggs
Mammal
Warm blooded animals with hair or fur. Almost all have live young
Invertebrate
An animal without a spinal column - backbone
Amphibian
An animal which lay eggs in water, live on land & water & have moist skin. Most adults have 4 legs
Insect
An animal with 6 legs and 3 separate body parts
Mollusc
An animal with a hard shell and muscular foot

home - animals - mammals - slender tailed meerkat

©Copyright Animal Parties 2007Slender Tailed Meerkat

Meerkat
Suricata suricata

Found across Southern Africa, Meerkat's are omnivores being opportunistic feeders. In the wild they eat any vegetables and plants they find but they will also eat insects or small mammals even scorpions and snakes. In captivity we feed them a diet of vegetables such as carrot, cucumber, peas, sweet corn and peppers with a small amount of fruit. They also eat insects from crickets to mealworms as well as meat including dead mice and chicks.

Crazy Fact

Meerkat's have dark patches of fur around their eyes and these act just like sunglasses. The patches stop the sun from going into their eyes so the meerkat can actually stare into the sun looking for predators - animals that may want to eat them.