''Suricata'' is a genus of

mongoose A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to ...

that is endemic to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. The oldest species known is the extinct ''

Suricata major ''Suricata major'' is an extinct species of meerkat from the Early Pleistocene of Africa. Description Material from this species has been found at the Elandsfontein fossil site in South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of Sout ...

'' that lived about 1.8 million years ago in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q19817113 Mammal genera Mammal genera with one living species Taxa named by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest Mongooses