Adopt William »	Adopt Kate »

Slender tailed meerkat profile

The slender tailed meerkat is a small mammal and a member of the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a ‘mob’, ‘gang’ or ‘clan’. A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some super-families have 50 or more members. Meerkats have an average life span of 12-14 years.

Its tail is not bushy like all other mongoose species, but is rather long and thin and tapers to a black or reddish coloured pointed tip. The meerkat uses its tail to balance when standing upright. Its face tapers, coming to a point at the nose, which is brown. The eyes always have black patches around them and it has small black crescent-shaped ears that can close to exclude soil when digging. Like cats, meerkats have binocular vision, a large peripheral range, depth perception, and eyes on the front of their faces.

William, the slender tailed meerkat

William is one of the latest pair of meerkats to be featured in our adoption scheme. Inquisitive & alert, this diminutive digger is constantly on the go, scurrying around Discovery Desert & delighting visitors with his comical antics. He is first in the queue at mealtimes and especially enjoys his morning mealworm treat.

Adopt now »

Kate, the slender tailed meerkat

Kate is one of the latest pair of meerkats to be featured in Durrell’s adoption scheme. She is a dainty individual with particularly attractive features. The caddish Alexander Orlov would most definitely show an interest in her.

Adopt now »