Suricata suricatta was first described by Schreber in 1776.Meerkats belong to the Feliformia, a sub-order of the Carnivora, which broadly includes:

• cats
• hyenas
• fossa
• civets
• kusimanses
• genets
• mongooses

Within the Feliformia they are further grouped in the family Herpestidae with other mongooses, where their close relatives number around 30 and include the following mongoose species:

• slender mongoose (Galerella sp.)
• dwarf mongoose (Helogale sp.)
• banded mongoose (Mungos mungo)
• yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata)

Meerkats are carnivores, though sometimes people mistake them for rodents because of their size. A simple way to tell the difference is to look at their pronounced canine teeth - these allow them to have a carnivorous diet and lifestyle, in contrast to the pronounced incisors of rodents.