>Well, how many of you watched the Wild Kingdoms Meercats secret world? >I found out that they might have a ferrety appearance but that is where >the similarity stops dead in its tracks. These animals were so much more >fascinating than I ever dreamed. They were NOTHING like I expected. And >to see it through the photographers admiring eyes was just priceless. (BIG, I hope this is OT enough to count. <g>) [Is there a contest? BIG] Meerkats do look a lot like weasely little guys on first glance, but their social structure is indeed quite different. I wondered at first if they were related, but they are a different family. They're order Carnivora, of course, but that's where they diverge. Their family is Viverridae, not Mustela. This family includes a lot of species, such as civets and genets, as well as the binturong (Bearcat, which is a helluva lot bigger and, if you've never seen one, exceedingly hard to describe). Surprisingly, the mongoose, which people always seem to think is a weasel (and people frequently mention Riki Tiki Tavi to me if they are unfamiliar with ferrets!), is actually a member of this family too. Just goes to show that initial appearance doesn't count for everything. <g> I have been told that it is possible to have a meerkat as a pet if it is handraised from infancy, and that this is sometimes done in some parts of Africa. Some zoos have "tame" meerkats in the education department. I don't advocate the ownership of any wild animals, and I would have to say I think this is a bad idea, but it is interesting how friendly and cute the little guys *can* be under the right conditions. (I say "can" because they can also be quite mean and nasty. My SO, who is a zookeeper, cares for meerkats, and these guys bite and they mean business.) -Natasha [Posted in FML issue 4086]