狐獴，又称沼狸、猫鼬，是一种獴，居住在南非、纳米比亚及安哥拉西南部的喀拉哈里沙漠。

狐獴是一种小型昼行性动物，雄性平均重约731克，雌性720克，有着修长的躯干跟四肢，使牠们的身长可达到25到35公分，尾长亦有17-25公分。牠的尾巴(并不如其他的獴类那样一丛)为长、细，并尖尖延伸到端点，在末端的端点都为黑色，在直立时狐獴会用尾巴支撑来保持平衡，牠们的脸型也是尖尖延伸到棕色的鼻子，狐獴的眼睛周围都有着黑色块，这些构造的作用跟太阳眼镜相同，让牠们在艳阳普照下仍能清晰的视物，甚至是直视太阳，这对狐獴帮助很大，因为空中的掠食者通常是在太阳之前飞行以避免被察觉。狐獴有着小、黑、新月型的耳朵，有着在挖洞时能闭起来以避免砂进入耳内的功能。

The meerkat or suricate (Suricata suricatta) is a small carnivoran belonging to the mongoose family (Herpestidae). It is the only member of the genus Suricata. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan". A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some super-families have 50 or more members. In captivity, meerkats have an average life span of 12–14 years, and about half this in the wild.