Animals that start with M

Meerkats are members of the mongoose family that is native to parts of Africa. They live in large groups, with 20 to 30 members in a group. They live in burrows underground. Meerkats eat mostly insects but will also eat anything else small they can catch. They are immune to scorpion venom. When meerkats are out looking for food during the day, some members of their group will stand guard and tell the group of they see any predators coming.

Millipedes are a type of creature that has many body segments, and two pairs of legs on each segment. They are related to centipedes, but they move a lot slower. Centipedes have only one pair of legs per segment.

Mites are small, generally parasitic arachnids very closely related to ticks. Some mites are so small you need a microscope. Some mites infest animals, including insects, others infest plants. The mite in the picture is on a bee's head.

Molluscs are an extremely diverse group of creatures that includes the octopus, squid, snails and clams. Molluscs don't have skeletons. Only some molluscs have shells.

Mongooses are a small animal that live in southern Asia, Africa, and southern Europe. They eat insects, crabs, worms, lizards, snakes, chickens, and rodents. They will also eat eggs and dead animals they find.