MEERKAT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does meerkat mean? 

• MEERKAT (noun)
  The noun MEERKAT has 1 sense:

1. a mongoose-like viverrine of South Africa having a face like a lemur and only four toes

  Familiarity information: MEERKAT used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MEERKAT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A mongoose-like viverrine of South Africa having a face like a lemur and only four toes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

meerkat; mierkat

Hypernyms ("meerkat" is a kind of...):

viverrine; viverrine mammal (small cat-like predatory mammals of warmer parts of the Old World)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "meerkat"):

slender-tailed meerkat; Suricata suricatta (a meerkat with a thin and elongated tail)

Suricata tetradactyla; suricate (burrowing diurnal meerkat of southern Africa; often kept as a pet)

Holonyms ("meerkat" is a member of...):

genus Suricata; Suricata (meerkats)

 Context examples 

A meerkat’s place within the social group shapes the mortality risks it faces.

(Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger, University of Cambridge)

Subordinate meerkats die due to sudden, unpredictable circumstances such as exposure to predators, killing them instantly.

(Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger, University of Cambridge)

This is because meerkat underlings are forced to take the often-fatal risk of leaving the safety of the group to find breeding opportunities, say scientists.

(Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger, University of Cambridge)

The team collected blood samples from the meerkats, and measured DNA sections called telomeres that help protect DNA from damage – much like the plastic caps on shoe-laces.

(Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger, University of Cambridge)

Dominant meerkats typically die due to internal stresses on their bodies, resulting in gradual, predictable declines until death.

(Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger, University of Cambridge)

On reaching the top of the social pecking order, however, meerkats remain ensconced within the group.

(Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger, University of Cambridge)

Yet the dominant meerkats still lived an average of 60% longer than subordinates, as the lower ranking meerkats were increasingly forced to risk more and more time outside the group as they grew older.

(Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger, University of Cambridge)

While the telomeres of subordinate meerkats remained stable, dominant telomeres shrunk by a third in just 18 months – suggesting accelerated ageing caused by the toils of raising young and fending off rivals.

(Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger, University of Cambridge)

The secret of long life for meerkats is not to battle the inevitable declines of ageing, but to be the ruler of your community, profiting from social support and cracking down on would-be rivals.

(Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger, University of Cambridge)

Scientists from the University of Cambridge have now investigated the lifespans of meerkats: a highly social mammal that lives in groups of up to fifty, where a single dominant couple produce around 90% of the pups.

(Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger, University of Cambridge)