Gestation of black-footed ferrets lasts 42–45 days. Unlike other mustelids, the black-footed ferret has low reproductive rates. During copulation, the male grasps the female by the nape of the neck, with the copulatory tie lasting from 1 1/2 to 3 hours. When a male and female in estrus encounter each other, the male sniffs the genital region of the female, but does not mount her until after a few hours have elapsed. High densities of prairie dog burrows provide the greatest amount of cover for black-footed ferrets.īlack-footed ferrets are believed to be polygynous. Black-footed ferrets use prairie dog burrows for raising young, avoiding predators and thermal cover. 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. A single family of four black-footed ferrets eats about 250 prairie dogs each year and cannot survive without access to large colonies of them. They are nocturnal hunters that are almost entirely dependent on a plentiful supply of prairie dogs to prey on, and shelter in a prairie dog burrow during the day.
Even then, their existence was questioned since no other black-footed ferrets were reported for over twenty years. They do not change their habitat over the seasons.Įven before their numbers declined, black-footed ferrets were rarely seen: they weren't officially recognized as a species by scientists until 1851, following publication of a book by naturalist John James Audubon and Rev. These blend in well with the prairie ecosystem in which they live. Their fur is white at the base but darkens at the tips, making them appear yellowish-brown overall, with black feet and tail-tip, and a distinctive black face mask. Like most members of the family, they are very low to the ground with an elongated body and very short legs. The last known wild population was taken into captivity in the mid-1980s, a few years after its accidental discovery in Wyoming.īlack-footed ferrets are about 18 inches long, with a furry 6 inch tail, and they weigh roughly 2 pounds. They became extinct in the wild in Canada in 1937, and were classified as endangered in the U.S. The black-footed ferret is the most endangered mammal in North America.
It should not be confused with the domesticated ferret.
The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) is a small carnivorous North American mammal closely related to the steppe polecat of Russia, and a member of the diverse family Mustelidae which also includes weasels, mink, polecats, martens, otters, and badgers.
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