Meerkats

If you want to see more of Timon from The Lion King, then you better check out The Lion King 1½ , the prequel of sorts to the Lion King, with sidekicks Timon and Pumbaa now starring as the animated film’s main protagonists. The film focuses on the two pals and their adventures before and during the actual events of the first Lion King movie, showing that the duo has a deeper connection to Simba and his pride than what was first previously thought.

Perhaps the best thing about The Lion King is how it depicts previously unheard of animals on the big screen. One such animal would be the meerkat, Timon’s character. As seen on the prequel, meerkats are highly social animals, living in large groups comprised of several families living underground. The squirrel-sized animal belongs to the mongoose family, and is perhaps best known for the upright posture they assume when looking out for predators in the plains of South Africa.

As proof of the strength of the social bond meerkats have in their community, these animals always work in numbers. While one group of meerkats go foraging for food, another group watches over them and act as sentries, always on the lookout for predators such as hawks and eagles that can snatch them right off the ground. When a predator is seen, the meerkats instantly make a shrill call, signaling everyone to hide in their burrows.

And speaking of burrows, meerkats have very interesting homes that are sure to impress engineers. Each underground burrow is connected to each other through tunnels, allowing meerkats to move freely through the community.

As cute as meerkats are however, they make terrible pets. Meerkats can be aggressive to their owners, especially when cornered. They have very strong prey instincts, so close interaction with humans is highly difficult to achieve.

Meerkats Video