Black-Footed Ferret

Black-Footed Ferret

American polecat, Prairie dog hunter

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Suborder
Family
Subfamily
Genus
SPECIES
Mustela nigripes
Population size
206
Life Span
3-9 years
Top speed
25
16
km/hmph
km/h mph 
Weight
900-1000
31.7-35.3
goz
g oz 
Length
38-41
15-16.1
cminch
cm inch 

The endangered Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) belongs to the weasel family and is the only ferret that is native to North America. Domestic ferrets are a different species and of European origin. The Black-footed ferret was once found in the tens of thousands, however, by the 1960s they were almost extinct. Although still endangered, the species is on its way to making a comeback. Concerted efforts over the last thirty years from many federal and state agencies, Native American tribes, private landowners, zoos, and conservation organizations have assisted in the survival of Black-footed ferrets.

No

Nocturnal

Ca

Carnivore

Te

Terrestrial

Al

Altricial

Co

Congregatory

Vi

Viviparous

Bu

Burrowing

Te

Territorial

Po

Polygyny

So

Solitary

So

Social

No

Not a migrant

B

starts with

Appearance

The Black-footed ferret has a long, slender body with black outlines on its paws, ears, parts of its face, and its tail. The forehead is arched and broad, and the muzzle is short. It has few whiskers, and its ears are triangular, short, erect, and broad at the base. The neck is long and the legs short and stout. The toes are armed with sharp, very slightly arched claws. The feet on both surfaces are covered in hair, even to the soles, thus concealing the claws. The base color is pale yellowish or buffy above and below. The top of the head and sometimes the neck is clouded by dark-tipped hairs. The face is crossed by a broad band of sooty black, which includes the eyes. The feet, lower parts of the legs, the tip of the tail, and the preputial region are sooty-black. The area midway between the front and back legs is marked by a large patch of dark umber-brown, which fades into the buffy surrounding parts. A small spot occurs over each eye, with a narrow band behind the black mask. The sides of the head and the ears are dirty-white in color.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Countries
Biogeographical realms

Once common across the Great Plains from Alberta, Canada to the southwestern USA, by 1987, the Black-footed ferret in the wild was extinct. Today, following huge conservation efforts, reintroduced populations inhabit eight western states and Chihuahua in Mexico. However, of these, only three: one in Wyoming and two in South Dakota, are considered self-sustaining. These animals are found in the middle or short grass prairies and rolling hills in North America.

Black-Footed Ferret habitat map

Climate zones

Black-Footed Ferret habitat map
Black-Footed Ferret
Attribution-ShareAlike License

Habits and Lifestyle

This species is active mostly at night, with peak hours being around dusk. Ferrets reduce their level of activity in winter, sometimes staying underground for as long as a week. They are a subterranean species that uses abandoned prairie dog burrows for shelter and travel. Black-footed ferrets are solitary, except in the breeding season, with no male participation in raising the young. They are territorial, actively defending their territories against other same-gender competitors. These mammals are considered to be alert, agile, and curious, with a keen sense of sight, hearing, and smell. Olfactory communication (defecation and urination) is used to maintain their hierarchies of dominance and to assist in retracing tracks when traveling at night. These are vocal animals that in the wild hiss and chatter when scared or frightened.

Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Black-footed ferrets are carnivores, they mostly eat prairie dogs, also sometimes mice, ground squirrels, or other small animals.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
March-April
PREGNANCY DURATION
35-45 days
BABY CARRYING
1-6 kits
INDEPENDENT AGE
6 weeks
FEMALE NAME
jill
MALE NAME
hob
BABY NAME
kit

Black-footed ferrets are thought to be polygynous, based on information collected from skewed sex ratios, sexual dimorphism and home range sizes. This means that one male mates with multiple females. The breeding season usually is during March and April. This species exhibits "delayed implantation," where a fertilized egg does not begin to develop until conditions are right for gestation, the period of gestation lasting 35-45 days. Litters number 1-6 young, the average size being 3-4. Young remain in their burrows for about 6 weeks (42 days) before coming above ground. In July and August (the summer months) females and their offspring stay together; in the autumn they separate, the young ferrets having reached their independence. They become reproductively mature at the age of one year.

Population

Population threats

The Black-footed ferret population fell drastically in the earlier half of the 20th century, mainly due to habitat loss. Currently, habitat loss and introduced diseases are key threats to this species. The ferrets are entirely dependent on prairie colonies for shelter, food, and raising young. Without sufficient reintroduction sites and protection against plague, recovery for this species remains difficult.

Population number

According to the Defenders of Wildlife resource, there are approximately 300 Black-footed ferrets in total living in the wild, and another 300 ferrets living in captive breeding facilities as of 2016. According to the IUCN Red List, the total Black-footed ferret population size is approximately 500 wild-living (released or wild-born) individuals exist in populations in several US states and Mexico. Of these, 206 mature individuals occur in self-sustaining free-living populations. Overall, currently, Black-footed ferrets are classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and their numbers today are decreasing.

Ecological niche

Black-footed ferrets are important members of the ecosystem, both as predators, mainly of prairie dogs, thus controlling their populations, and as prey for their natural predators.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • Ferrets sleep as much as 21 hours per day, beginning to hunt for prairie dogs mainly during the night.
  • The movements of this species largely rely on the density of prey. They travel as far as 11 miles (18 km) hunting their prey mostly prairie dogs.
  • A group of ferrets is a ‘business’.

Coloring Pages

References

1. Black-Footed Ferret Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-footed_ferret
2. Black-Footed Ferret on The IUCN Red List site - http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/14020/0

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