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Special Features
 Exhibit
Floor
The bottom of the exhibit is poured
concrete, so the meerkats cannot tunnel out
of the exhibit. The substrate is a special
material that allows the meerkats to dig,
but will not hold together enough for a tunnel
system to be built. We don't want the animals
to tunnel because it makes it harder for us
to take care of them and we wouldn't have
regular access to them for treatment of any
medical problems, routine veterinary care,
etc. If the meerkats were allowed to tunnel,
the tunnels could collapse and harm the meerkats.
When it rains, the tunnels can also flood.
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Heated Rocks
There are two heated rocks in the exhibit.
This allows meerkats to be in their exhibit
longer during cooler months.
Feeding Tubes
There are feeding tubes built into
the trees in the exhibit. Mealworms and crickets
are deposited in the morning, and they crawl
out during the day for the meerkats to eat.
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Meerkats are tiny, yet amazing
creatures that live in a group called a mob. They
are close relatives of the mongoose family. They
have a grey or brown colored coat, and a pointy-head
with a long nose. Meerkats eat insects, scorpions,
small mammals and reptiles. Scorpions are a dinner
favorite. Luckily meerkats are immune to the scorpions’
poison as well as some venomous snakes.Meerkats
inhabit the dry scorching deserts and grassland
areas in South Africa.
Social Structure
Each meerkat has a job to do within the mob, and
they depend on each other for survival and display
a remarkable degree of teamwork. They hunt together,
share food, protect each other, attack enemies together
and play with and groom each other. Each adult even
takes turns being a baby-sitter to watch after young
meerkats.
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Keeping
Watch
Zoo visitors will often see a meerkat on guard
duty watching over the mob. The guard stands
on its hind legs and peers out over its territory
on the lookout for predators. Meerkats have
keen eyesight, and the dark patches around their
eyes act as built-in sunglasses allowing them
to see better on bright, sunny days. When a
meerkat perceives a threat to the mob, it emits
a warning call that tells the others there is
danger nearby. If time allows, the meerkats
will escape to their underground burrows, however,
if escape is not possible, they will all come
together, hissing and jumping at the predator,
in an effort to scare it away. |
- Visitors can learn more
about meerkats during a close encounter program
at 1:30 p.m. daily in front of their exhibit
until Labor Day. Close Encounters are led
by Knoxville Zoo interpreters and are enhanced
by using biofacts and interactive activities
to educate and interest visitors.
- The meerkats do not like
the rain and will go into their tubes when
the showers get a little heavy.
- Meerkats are not tolerant
of the cold, so they will not be on exhibit
unless it is sunny and the temperature falls
is above 45 degrees farenheit.
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Quick
Facts |
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Location:
Grasslands Africa! |
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Opened:
April 2003 |
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Home
to:
6 Meerkats |
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