What animal has the scientific name 'Suricata suricatta'?

A meerkat ('Suricata suricatta') is a small mammal that lives in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. Despite its name, it is more closely related to the mongoose family than to cats.

The African name for the meerkat is 'suricate'. In 1776, Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber described a meerkat from the Cape of Good Hope, giving it the scientific name 'Viverra suricatta'. Later, the generic name 'Suricata' was proposed by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in 1804. A combination of both names, 'Suricata suricatta', was first used by Oldfield Thomas and Harold Schwann in 1905.

Meerkats live in burrows in the ground. They are active during the day, except at the hottest part of the day. They usually live in large family groups led by a female and a male.

Meerkats can share their burrows with many different animals, such as other mongooses and sometimes squirrels who live on the ground. Sometimes even a snake will share the burrow with a meerkat.