It is World Meerkat Day, a celebration of these adorably upstanding creatures. Despite the name, they are not related to cats. They"re small carnivores of the mongoose family, native to the deserts and grasslands of southwestern Africa. Meerkats live in mobs, tight-knit groups of up to 30 individuals that forage together, groom each other, and take turns watching for predators. These critters create huge burrows where they spend the night and retreat to escape the midday heat.