These little guys have the most direct gaze of any of the animals at the Zoo. Not only are they VERY aware of you, but they are camera hounds to boot! This is a meerkat. Some of you may now him as "Timon" from the Lion King. The next picture belies the whole "Hakuna Matata" song sung by his animated counterpart.
This is one of my all time favorite pictures. The frown on this little guy's face is precious. He seems to be asking,"Who are you lookin' at??" Me and my camera are lookin' at you babe!
The meerkat is a member of the mongoose family. If you have never seen one in person, they are smaller than you might think. This little guy looked like he could easily fit into the palm of my hand, and that is what everyone's first inclination when you first lay eyes on them. Then I saw one give a mightly yawn and got a good look at all his sharp little teeth. ( I say "his" because all the meerkats at the Honolulu Zoo are males. If any meerkat females escaped into Hawaii's fragile ecosystem, the devastation would be horrendous) You can find some really good information about these guys on the Honolulu Zoo's website.
This picture gives you a better idea of the body structure. Meerkats have short, stocky bodies with dark bands on it's back His eyes are very darkly ringed. His nose, tip of his tail and ears are dark as well. He has long claw to help with the digging of his burrow and catching of prey. He has a narrow muzzle and very small cute ears which are barely visible and close to the head. He also has a cute little belly. =-)