Meerkat

The Meerkat is a member of the Mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and in South Africa. A group of Meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan". A Meerkat clan often contains about 20 Meerkats, but some superfamilies have 50 or more members.

Meerkats become sexually mature at about one year of age and can have 1 to 5 pups in a litter. Wild Meerkats may have up to four litters per year. Meerkats are iteroparous and can reproduce any time of the year but most births occur in the warmer seasons. The pups are allowed to leave the burrow at three weeks old. When the pups are ready to emerge from the burrow, the whole clan of Meerkats will stand around the burrow to watch.

Gestation lasts approximately 11 weeks and the young are born within the underground burrow and are altricial. The young's ears open at about 15 days of age, and their eyes at 10–14 days. They are weaned around 49 to 63 days. They do not come above ground until at least 21 days of age and stay with babysitters near the burrow.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meerkat - 29.04.2010