North America's only native ferret and once thought extinct. Rediscovered in 1981 in Wyoming, they've been bred and reintroduced — about 350 wild today, all descendants of just 7 founders.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The black-footed ferret, also known as the American polecat or prairie dog hunter, is a species of mustelid native to central North America.
Source: Wikipedia — Black-footed ferret Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Slender black-masked weasel relative; tan-buff body with darker legs and tail tip.
Similar species. Long-tailed Weasel (longer tail, no mask). Domestic ferret (no mask, lighter).
Voice. Chitters, hisses, growls.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Almost exclusively prairie dogs and ground squirrels.
Behavior. Highly endangered. Cylindrical body adapted for hunting in burrows. Sleeps and hunts almost entirely below ground.
§ Range
Reintroduced sites in WY, MT, SD, CO, KS, AZ — historically Great Plains
§ Habitat
Prairie dog colonies — they hunt prairie dogs and live in their burrows
§ Threats
Loss of prairie dog colonies, sylvatic plague, low genetic diversity, drought.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the black-footed ferret is currently classified as Endangered.
§ What helps
Support prairie dog conservation. Donate to USFWS Black-footed Ferret Recovery Program. Advocate against prairie dog poisoning.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Black-footed ferret
- www.fws.gov — authoritative profile of Mustela nigripes
- IUCN Red List · taxon 14020
- iNaturalist · taxon 42035
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Mustela nigripes
§ Sources cited
- USFWS Black-footed Ferret Recovery
- National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center
- IUCN Red List 2015
