# Meerkat (*Suricata suricatta*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/meerkat  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The meerkat (Suricata suricatta) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the mongoose family Herpestidae, subfamily Mungotinae. It is a small, terrestrial and diurnal animal, with an adult body mass from 725 to 776 g. The meerkat is an invertivore with a carnivore trophic level, and it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category. After a gestation period of 77 days it has 3.86 young per litter and one litter per year, reaching sexual maturity at 1 year and living up to 20.6 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 725 g – 776 g |
| Length | 24 cm – 35 cm |
| Lifespan | 12.7 years – 20.6 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | arthropods |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 77 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.86 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Herpestidae
- genus: Suricata
- species: *Suricata suricatta* (Schreber, 1776)

Synonyms: *Viverra suricatta*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a meerkat?

The meerkat is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Herpestidae. It belongs to the subfamily Mungotinae and the genus Suricata.

### How heavy is a meerkat?

An adult Meerkat weighs from 725 to 776 g, with a representative value of 725.5 g. This places it in the small size class.

### What does a meerkat eat?

The meerkat is an invertivore, and its trophic level is carnivore.

### Is the meerkat endangered?

No. The meerkat is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a meerkat live?

Sources give a lifespan of 12.67 years for the meerkat, with values up to 20.6 years.

### How many young does a meerkat have?

A meerkat has 3.86 young per litter and 1 litter per year, after a gestation period of 77 days.

### Is the meerkat active during the day?

Yes. The meerkat is diurnal and terrestrial.

### Who named the meerkat?

The meerkat, Suricata suricatta, was named by (Schreber, 1776).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Meerkat (Suricata suricatta). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/meerkat