Suricata tetradactyla

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

Suricata tetradactyla
    n 1: burrowing diurnal meerkat of southern Africa; often kept as
         a pet [syn: {suricate}, {Suricata tetradactyla}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

suricat \su"ri*cat\, suricate \su"ri*cate\(s[=u]"r[i^]*k[a^]t),
   n. [F. surikate, from the native name in South Africa.]
   (Zool.)
   A South African mongooselike viverrine ({Suricata suricatta}
   or {Suricata tetradactyla}) having a lemurlike face and only
   four toes; called also {mierkat}, {yellow mongoose} and
   {zenick}. [Also spelled {surikate}.]

   Note: The animal called {zenick} seems also to be related to
         or identical to the mierkat, but no reference can be
         found on the internet.

   Syn: meerkat.
        [1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Zenick \Ze"nick\, n. (Zool.)
   A South African burrowing mammal ({Suricata tetradactyla}),
   allied to the civets. It is grayish brown, with yellowish
   transverse stripes on the back. Called also {suricat}.
   [obsolete]

   Note: This term is not found on the internet. It probably
         refers to the {meerkat}, also called suricate.
         [1913 Webster]