Suricata

Suricata
Temporal range: Early Pleistocene - Recent
Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Herpestidae
Subfamily: Mungotinae
Genus: Suricata
Desmarest, 1804
Type species
Mustela suricatta
Schreber, 1776
Species

Suricata is a genus of mongoose that is endemic to Africa. The oldest species known is the extinct Suricata major that lived about 1.8 million years ago in South Africa. The only species alive is the meerkat (Suricata suricatta).