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Suricata (meerkat)

Mammalia - Carnivora - Herpestidae

Taxonomy
Suricata was named by Desmarest (1804). It is extant.

It was assigned to Viverrina by Gray (1825); to Herpestinae by Mivart (1882); to Viverridae by Carroll (1988); and to Herpestidae by Werdelin and Peigne (2010).

Species
S. suricatta

Synonyms
  • Ryzaena was named by Illiger (1811). It is extant.

    It was synonymized subjectively with Suricata by Mivart (1882).
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1804Suricata Desmarest
1811Ryzaena Illiger
1825Suricata Gray p. 339
1882Suricata Mivart p. 142
1988Suricata Carroll
2010Suricata Werdelin and Peigne p. 637

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
—Mammaliamorpha
RankNameAuthor
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—Laurasiatheria
—Scrotifera
—Ferae()
—CarnivoramorphaWyss and Flynn 1993
—CarnivoraformesFlynn et al.
orderCarnivora
suborderFeliformiaKretzoi 1945
—AeluroideaFlower 1869
infraorderViverroideaGray 1821
familyHerpestidae(Bonaparte 1845)
genusSuricataDesmarest 1804

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. Suricata Desmarest 1804 [meerkat]
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Suricata suricatta Schreber 1776 [meerkat]
Invalid names: Ryzaena Illiger 1811 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
partNmean

Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: ground dwellingf
Diet: insectivoref
Diet 2: carnivoref
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Created: 2005-06-08 10:11:09
Modified: 2005-08-22 19:45:22
Source: f = family, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Nowak 1991, Hendy et al. 2009, Carroll 1988, Lillegraven 1979, Ji et al. 2002

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Early/Lower Pleistocene to the top of the Late/Upper Pleistocene or 2.58000 to 0.01170 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 0.774 Ma

Collections (8 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.58 - 0.774South Africa (Gauteng) Suricata suricatta (183152)
Pleistocene2.58 - 0.0117South Africa Suricata suricatta (21825 21828 21829 21956)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.58 - 0.0South Africa Suricata sp. (21711)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117South Africa Suricata suricatta (115184)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117South Africa (Namaqualand) Suricata suricatta (51187)