How do meerkats live?

Meerkats are small, social carnivores native to southern Africa, particularly found in the deserts and semi-arid regions of Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. They live in large family groups called mobs or clans, which provide safety and assistance in raising young. Meerkats are omnivores, primarily feeding on insects, small reptiles, and fruits, but they also eat small mammals and bird eggs. They work together to hunt, with some members acting as sentinels to watch for predators while others forage for food. Meerkats live in burrows, which they dig themselves, and spend a large portion of their day either foraging or resting in the shade to avoid the heat. They reproduce sexually, with the dominant female in a group typically giving birth to litters of 3-7 pups. The entire group helps care for the pups, who are kept safe in the burrow until they are old enough to venture out.