Animal：Meerkats - together we are strong!
【明報專訊】The natural world is full of hardships and danger. And yet these challenges often bring out the most amazing abilities among animals. The small, hardy meerkat (狐獴) living in the harsh grasslands of southwestern Africa could be the best example to show us how we could overcome nature's many challenges by working together.
Rare talents
Feeding on insects, lizards, spiders, as well as roots and plants, the meerkat has a special taste for dangerous food: it scrubs off the toxic substance of millipedes (千足蟲) by dragging them on the sand before eating them. A scorpion (蠍子) is not a problem for the meerkat, which will first bite off its tail and then make a meal of it. Adult meerkats pass on this unique skill to their little ones by first biting the tail off a scorpion and then letting the young meerkats learn to kill it without risk of getting stung.
The unusually gifted and hardy meerkats will soon join the big family of Ocean Park Hong Kong. This will be a wonderful opportunity for us all to observe their rare talents up close and surely there is a lot to learn from them!
Nature's smart design
The meerkat is a model of adapting to nature. It has dark patches around its eyes, which work like sunglasses to reduce glare from the sun. Since the meerkat digs a lot, its eyes also have a protective membrane (膜) to shield it from dirt. Its tiny ears can even close off to prevent dust when digging. And of course, it has strong, forceful fore claws to do the actual digging.
Perhaps the most remarkable gift of the meerkat is that it can stand upright on two feet, much like humans! Its long, stiff tail is like the kickstand of a bicycle, which can support the meerkat in this position for a long time.
Unity is strength
Measuring 35 cm and weighing only 1 kg, the meerkat is a formidable (難對付的) force when the whole group comes together as a community. It is called a mob, which may consist of several families of 10 to 15 members. Together they dig their shared home underground, known as a burrow, made up of a system of tunnels and rooms with many entrances. Each room may have a dedicated use, for example, bedroom or even toilet! It is comfortable and safe down there, an escape from extreme temperatures and enemy threats on the ground.
The meerkats share the tasks of finding food, and protecting and caring for the mob. While the rest of the mob set off to forage, a scout will be standing on a mound to keep watch in shifts. If an enemy is spotted, the scout will make a special call to alert the entire group. There are different calls for an enemy coming from the sky or over land! If the danger is really close, the whole mob will go all out to fight together and defend themselves.
Text and photos: Ocean Park Hong Kong
[Smarties' Power English 第278期]
