<human>:  What is the difference between a mongoose and a meerkat?
<bot>: The main difference between a mongoose and a meerkat is that mongooses are small carnivores in the family Herpestidae, native to southern Eurasia and mainland Africa, while meerkats are members of the mongoose family that live in parts of the Kalahari desert in southern Africa. Mongooses are typically larger and more aggressive than meerkats and are known to hunt small prey like rodents, snakes, and lizards, while meerkats mainly feed on invertebrates.