especially: a burrowing highly social primarily insectivorous mammal (Suricata suricatta) of southern Africa that is chiefly grayish with faint black markings and lives in usually large colonies
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On both trips our daughters were able to get mere feet from a habituated mob of meerkats, which delighted them to no end, and have close encounters with rhinos (including a memorable gassy baby moment that taught us how sensitive their sense of smell is), lions, cheetahs, and more.—Kathryn Romeyn, AFAR Media, 11 Feb. 2025 The El Paso Zoo will be hosting a livestream of the meerkats enjoying the bugs at 2:15 p.m. local time on Feb. 14 on Facebook and Instagram.—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025 We hand-fed giraffes, spotted meerkats, participated in a rhinoceros encounter, and even went kayaking.—Linnea Bailey, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025 Visiting nature lovers can spot a few of the Big Five, add some birds to their life list or dine in the early morning alongside Namibia’s native meerkats, while those in need of a relaxing getaway can stick close to the lodge and unwind by the pool.—Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for meerkat
Word History
Etymology
Afrikaans, from Dutch, a kind of monkey, from Middle Dutch meercatte monkey, from meer sea + catte cat
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