The black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes, is a mustelid of central North America, roughly the size of a mink and similar in appearance to the European polecat and the Asian steppe polecat. It is largely nocturnal and solitary except when breeding or raising litters, and up to 90 percent of its diet is prairie dogs. It declined through the twentieth century as prairie dog numbers fell and sylvatic plague spread, was declared extinct in 1979, and was then found again in 1981 at Meeteetse, Wyoming. A captive breeding program run by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced it to eight western states, Canada and Mexico between 1991 and 2009. The IUCN lists it as endangered, and in 2021 a female named Elizabeth Ann, the first successful clone of the species, was introduced to the public.
Facts
Classification
ThreatsInvasive and Other Problematic Species, Genes and Diseases 1 Living or Extinct Conservation Status Activity Pattern Comparison
NatureServe RankG1 Critically Imperiled 1 Connections
Child Taxon Of
Mustela, Taxa Source Black-footed ferret (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Source Black-footed ferret (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Black-footed ferret (Wikipedia)Lead, living or extinctQuote, Lead, living or extinct
The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), also known as the American polecat or prairie dog hunter, is a mustelid species native to central North America.
Sources
1. Black-footed ferret (Wikipedia)
Lead
It was first listed as "endangered" in 1982, then as "extinct in the wild" in 1996 before being moved back up to "endangered" in the IUCN Red List in 2008.
Lead, living or extinct
The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), also known as the American polecat or prairie dog hunter, is a mustelid species native to central North America.
Lead, diet
Up to 90% of its diet is composed of prairie dogs.
Lead, activity pattern
It is largely nocturnal and solitary, except when breeding or raising litters.
Lead, threats
The black-footed ferret declined throughout the 20th century, primarily as a result of decreases in prairie dog populations and sylvatic plague.
Life span
Average lifespan in the wild is probably only one year, but may be up to five years.
Conservation, NatureServe
In 2016, NatureServe considered the species Critically Imperiled.
In Biome: Grassland, Habitat
Historical habitats of the black-footed ferret included shortgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie, desert grassland, shrub steppe, sagebrush steppe, mountain grassland, and semi-arid grassland.
In Biome: Steppe, Habitat
Historical habitats of the black-footed ferret included shortgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie, desert grassland, shrub steppe, sagebrush steppe, mountain grassland, and semi-arid grassland.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.