The black and gray furred meerkats were residents of Nevarro. They occupied the sewers beneath Nevarro City, near the banks of an underground lava river. They were capable of chittering.
A lava meerkat near a lava river
The meerkats were also known as fire rats. In 9 ABY, during their escape from the forces of Imperial warlord Moff Gideon, the bounty hunter Din Djarin and his companions encountered a group of meerkats on the banks of an underground lava river. The meerkats observed the bounty hunter's group as they ferried down the river. Later, an Aqualish retrieved a captured meerkat from a cage with the intention of feeding the creature to their companions. Carasynthia Dune, the human Marshal, interrupted the group before the meal could be prepared, killing the Aqualish gang. The freed meerkat then expressed affection towards Dune which the human responded to by shooing the creature away. The meerkat continued to harass the human until she fed the creature. Dune feed the creature again while discussing joining the New Republic with New Republic officer Carson Teva.
Concept art of the Aqualish gang featuring a lava meerkat
The lava meerkat first appeared in "Chapter 8: Redemption," the eighth episode of the first season of the television series The Mandalorian, which aired on December 27, 2019. The species of meerkat was not initially indentified in The Mandalorian but the StarWars.com Databank entry identified the species as lava meerkats. Concept art from "Chapter 12: The Siege" revealed the species was able to breath fire.