Enjoy face-to-face encounters with meerkats, where a pop up bubble allows your child (or the child in you) to get an up close view of these charismatic creatures. Meerkats are known for their upright posture and the tennis-match-style head turns they use to scan the African desert where they live. They tend to be skittish and often hide in holes to protect themselves from predators and heat. “With a group this large, visitors are likely to see meerkats from the various viewing areas even if some of the meerkats are hiding in the habitat,” said Thane Maynard, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Zoo. You can find six meerkats from Disney’s Animal Kingdom, “Bert,” “Louis,” “Zevon,” “Santana,” “Mark,” and “Shakira” in the Zoo’s Meerkat habitat. These clever “kats” live in tight-knit social groups and use a variety of calls and purrs to alert each other when incoming prey is spotted. Meerkats are omnivores that will eat everything from insects and lizards to birds and fruit. Mothers can give birth to two – four offspring each year. Fathers and siblings play a part in the care and development of young meerkats.