Meerkats on the Lookout
Who is keeping watch while the group eats? For meerkats, it may be a member of their own group.
Meerkats are small mammals that live in dry parts of southern Africa. They live in groups and spend much of their time on the ground.
A meerkat group uses a burrow, or a home made of tunnels under the ground. Meerkats dig with their strong claws. A burrow can have many doors and rooms.
The group can rest in the burrow and stay out of the hot sun. The tunnels also give meerkats a place to hide from danger.
When meerkats come out, they look for food. They use their noses and claws to find insects and other small animals in the sand and soil. Looking for food this way is called foraging.
While some meerkats forage, one may stand up high and watch. This lookout scans the land and sky for danger, such as a bird of prey.
If the lookout spots danger, it can make a call. The others may run to a burrow for safety. Meerkats take turns keeping watch.
A group of meerkats near a sandy burrow may seem busy in different ways. Some dig or search for food. One may stand tall and look around. These actions help the group find food and stay safe.
- mammals:
- Animals that have hair or fur and feed milk to their babies.
- claws:
- Sharp, curved nails on an animal’s feet.
- soil:
- The top layer of ground where plants grow.
- scans:
- Looks over something carefully.
- wildlife:
- Animals and other living things that live in nature.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Where do meerkats live?
- 2What do meerkats use to dig?
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About this explanatory article passage for Lower Elementary
“Meerkats on the Lookout” is a explanatory article reading passage about Meerkat behavior, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (253 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.