Introducing Meerkat

Meerkats are one of the most loveable animals on the planet. They have adorable little faces, striped fur and big bushy tails (measuring 19 centimeters long!). But it isn’t just the appearance of these squirrel sized creatures that make them so charming.

These members of the mongoose family can be found in the south of the continent of Africa where they live in groups with anywhere from 3 to 50 members.

When it comes to friendship and family, meerkats are devoted to their mob. They use a number of mechanisms within their group to stay safe. Every mob is lead by a 'power couple', of which the female is the most dominant. Together they have 2 babies (called 'pups') a year and it is most common for the other members of the group to be related somehow to the power couple.

Each meerkat takes on a different role, which they rotate around to make their duty sharing fair. No baby will ever be left alone and the designated ‘babysitter’ will often go a whole day without food as they cannot leave the pup’s side to go and find anything to eat. The rest of the group, who only ever go out in the daytime, keep themselves busy digging places to hide in case of an emergency and foraging for their favourite foods which include fruit, nuts and tasty insects.

There will always be one member of the mob who watches out on top of a hill to protect the others whilst they hunt, this is called a sentry. This scout will be on the lookout for predators like hawks, snakes and jackals. Should they see or sense danger, the sentry will make a loud, high-pitched sound to signal to the rest of their mob that they need to scarper. Meerkat Collection is inspired by the sentry and appears on a range of homeware and gifts. This benevolent character can be seen sitting upright, perching whilst looking around. If there is someone special in your life who has looked out for you recently, why not give them a meerkat gift to symbolise their kindness and your gratefulness? Perhaps a teacher has gone above and beyond to make sure you have had all the help you’ve needed or maybe one of your neighbours has taken care of something for you whilst you’ve been away? Do you know a meerkat fan or want to convert someone in your life into a meerkat lover, too? From mugs to tea towels, cushions to coasters, all of your meerkat related needs are covered here at Jin Designs. For a mascot which really looks out for its close ones, our meerkat is the creature for you. View Meerkat Collection.