Cute Meerkat Images And Fun Facts

Is there a more loveable or photogenic animal than a meerkat? There aren’t too many creatures that people will just look at for hours and google new images. Yet meerkat photos are highly popular, to the point where many people will hang meerkat images as photo prints in their homes. As well buying a license of an image for a commercial is highly popular. And it’s not hard to see why. Pictures of meerkats in the wild tend to be cute, humorous, and intriguing, after all. They’re fascinating and curious animals too. While meerkat pictures can be fun on their own merit, you’ll find that you enjoy them all the more when you have some meerkat facts up your sleeve! In this blog, we’re going to run through some meerkat facts that you may not know.

A meerkat baby is looking at the African sunrise on a red dune in the Kalahari.

They are highly intelligent

If you thought one of our meerkat facts would be that they’re all show, no substance, then think again. If you were to look at meerkat images, then you might think that they’re just beautiful and nothing else. But that’s not the case. Peer into the meerkat natural habitat, and you’ll quickly learn that they’re intelligent creatures. They rely on some advanced systems in the wild, which rival the systems that other intelligent animals, such as dolphins, humans, and chimps, use.

Meerkat images show they live in the desert

A picture of a meerkat looking for predators. The cutest meerkat’s trademark is standing on their hind legs looking over the African Savannah for predators. Any meerkat photo suits beautifully for canvas photo prints.

Take a look at pictures of meerkats in the wild, and you’ll likely notice something — the background always seems to be more or less the same. And there’s a reason why. The second of our meerkat facts is that they live in the desert! So if you thought the life of a meerkat was all fun and games, then think again. Meerkat images make it look like they’re always having a good time, but that’s not necessarily the case. After all, many things can harm you when you’re in a desert. So if you’re a meerkat lover, maybe it’s best that you just look at meerkat pics rather than spend all that much time in the desert, trying to see them up close.

They are always eating

The meerkat habitat isn’t exactly flush with food. Indeed, if you were there, you’d probably be pretty hungry, pretty quickly! In meerkat images, you usually see the creature looking out and searching — and that’s because they’re looking for food. One of our favorite meerkat facts is that they’re basically always on the lookout for food. That’s because meerkats don’t have any space in their bodies for excess fat, which means they can’t snack now and gain energy later. So what exactly are they eating? It’ll come as no surprise to learn that meerkats eat what they find in the meerkat habitat. That’s chiefly insects, though they can also eat rodents, birds, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. Scorpions are high on their menu list.

This picture of the two cute meerkats displays how the wild animals scan the area for predators. This is adult meerkat with a baby would make a beautiful metal photo print. 

They don't drink water

There are pictures of meerkats in the wild drinking water, but it’s not as if they need water to live. If you were there, you’d need to drink water constantly just to survive. A meerkat will get all the fluids it needs to survive in the desert from the insects and other food that they eat. That’s pretty impressive when you think about how hot and harsh the desert can be. Yet meerkats just take it all in their stride. When you’re looking at meerkat pictures, you rarely seem to see them struggling. Indeed, they always look like they’re having fun, despite the harsh conditions in which they live.

They live underground

The baby meerkat is helping to dig a burrow on a sand dune in Africa.

Meerkats have to come above ground to eat and take care of the rest of life’s business. But when living in a desert, they must have a place underground that allows them to be comfortable, relax, raise their babies safely, and stay away from predators. Meerkat families create a series of underground dwellings that they live in, and by any standards, they’re pretty advanced. Plus, they’re cozy. What meerkat wouldn’t want to spend some time curled up with other meerkats, secure in the knowledge that they’re safe from the mania of the outside world?

They don't like rain

It turns out that humans and meerkats have something in common: neither are big fans of the rain. We, humans, rush inside when rain falls, so too do meerkats try getting out of the way of a downpour. They’ll bury themselves underground while it’s raining. When it’s over, they’ll come out, just like us. And while we’ll go shopping and resume life’s duties, so do they. Rainfall brings out plenty of insects, which makes a post-downpour trip outside the equivalent of hitting an all-you-can-eat buffet.

They have great eyes

And, of course, when you’re eating insects, it helps if you have good vision. And that’s exactly what meerkats have. Their eyesight also helps them to avoid predators. A meerkat can spot a bird of prey that’s up to 300 meters away, which gives them more than enough time to find safe ground

Two cute meerkats are searching the desert for predators to protect their families. The animals are always standing on their hind legs to scout.

They live in packs

As you’ll see from our pictures, Meerkats are extremely social creatures. In one family, you’ll find around 20 meerkats all living together, though sometimes you’ll find as many as 50. They all seem to get along pretty well, too — though this isn’t too hard to believe since they all seem to be pretty laid back and fun.

They appoint a guard

Meerkats also look out for each other. When the gang is looking for food, there’ll be one meerkat who has the job of keeping guard, watching out for predators. Helpful! If it sees one, it’ll alert the squad to the danger, which protects the group.

Meerkat images brighten the mood

Finally, this might just be our fact, but we think pictures of a meerkat help to brighten the mood. Who doesn’t feel a little bit better after they’ve spent some time looking at cute images or photographs of meerkats? If you think that this is, unquestionably, a fact, then look at buying some meerkat prints for your home or office. We specialize in custom wildlife and landscape photography prints that are certain to fit into your living or working spaces. It’s always a good day when you can spot a picture of some cute and cuddly meerkats on the walls.

Read our post of Fun Elephant Facts what you always wanted to know.

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