What does meerkat mean in South African Afrikaans?

Colonial species (Suricata suricatta) of the mongoose family (Herpestidae). It is a burrowing carnivore" class='external' title="http://www.answers.com/topic/carnivore found in southwestern Africa that differs from mongooses in having four (rather than five) toes on each foot. Meerkats are noted for their constant vigilance for predators. This sentinel behaviour involves one member of the group finding an elevated position, standing on its hind legs, and alerting the group of danger when it is seen. The meerkat grows to a total length of 17 - 24 in. (43 - 60 cm). Insects and other small animals constitute most of its diet, but bulbous roots are also eaten for the water they contain. It is diurnal and easily tamed as a pet. The yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata) is sometimes called the red meerkat.
It refers to a mongoose type animal that lives in South Africa.

It is composed of two words namely 'meer' which means lake or dam and 'kat' which means cat.

The Dutch misidentified the suricate, a member of the mongoose family as a member of the Cercopithecus genus. Meerkat means "lake cat", but the animal lives primarily in arid semi-desert areas.

In Afrikaans, meerkat is the word for a "ground squirrel" or Prairie dog. A burrowing animal that stays in tunnels underground. They eat insects, roots, bulbs and fruits etc.