Donna Hood, age 12, of Atlanta, Ga., for her question:
WHAT IS A SURICATE?
If you lived in South Africa, you might buy a suricate in a pet shop. The furry little fellow would become a playful member of the family and devote his spare time to keeping the premises free of ratty rodents. The suricate is not for sale in our pet shops for a very good reason. He is a mongoose, and this animal is forbidden because he tends to prey on baby chicks.
The suricate, alias the meerkat, belongs to South Africa where he fills a very important niche in the ecology. He is famous for a mixed diet which includes snakes and ratty rodents. This particular mongoose is said to be immune even to the venom of the deadly black mamba. He also polices the populations of grubs and spiders, insects and lizards. In addition to these meat courses, he also enjoys fruit and vegetables and is very fond of avocado pears.
This clever little animal has a slim, supple body with a smallish head and a fairly long, furry tail. His fur is a blend of soft honey colors, with dark tiger stripes across his back. His small round ears are flat and black. There is a black patch on his pointed nose and black patches around his bright farseeing eyes.
He looks like a very capable character, wide awake and ready for a fast fight. And this is true. For like his mongoose cousins of Asia, he attacks and usually masters dangerous snakes whom he seems to regard as his personal mortal enemies.
However, there is a much gentler side to his character. For the suricate enjoys a placid family life with a sizable group of friends and relatives. The colony shares an underground city of burrows, where they spend the night and bring up their charming kittens.
At sunrise they come to the surface, perhaps to dig for a breakfast of bulbs and tubers. Several member will sit straight up on their haunches, staring out for signs of trouble. When a hawk or some other enemy appears, the watchers utter gruff warning barks. During the,heat of the day, they flop down and soak up the sunshine.
After a flurry of courtship, the female bears up to five helpless kittens. In a few weeks, she carries them from their nest in the burrow and educates them to find their own food. Meantime, the father guards his family and also grooms his playful offspring.