black-footed ferret of north America

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The North-American Black-footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes) is a wild animal.

It is a different species from the domestic Ferret (Mustela putorious furo).   (Domestic Ferrets are not found in the wild.)

Unlike the domestic Ferret, the wild black-footed ferret is nocturnal:  they sleep during the day and hunt at night.
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The black-footed ferret is listed in the US as an Endangered Species.  It is one of the rarest mammals on the North American Continent. At one point it was thought to be extinct. 

One reason for the decline of the wild ferrets is the reduction of the prairie dog populations - the main diet of the black-footed ferret.  

Due to federal and state Species Survival programs, today there several thousand black-footed ferret that exist in the wild. 

Happy Birthday "Elizabeth Ann" !!
first cloned BFF (US Fish & Wildlife Service) Read more
How they Cloned a BFF 

Facial Close-up of Black-Footed Ferret

Black-footed ferrets emerging[North America]

Black-Footed Ferret Body Coloration

Prairie Dogs are ~ 90% of the black-footed ferret's diet.

The black-footed ferret is considered one of the most endangered species in North America. In fact, it was thought to be extinct twice. A small relict population was discovered near Meeteetse, Wyoming in 1981 and there began the amazing story of bringing a native species back from near extinction — first into a captive, managed breeding program and now back in the wild. Black-footed ferrets are in the wild in 19 release sites — 17 in the United States, one in Canada and one in Mexico.

Black-footed Ferret: Fact Sheet

conservation programs

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phoenix zoo - Phoenix, arizona

The Phoenix Zoo became involved with the black-footed ferret breeding and release program in 1991. The Phoenix Zoo has produced over 400 black-footed ferrets in the more than 20 years that they have been involved with the breeding program. 

musueum of discovery  - fort collins, colorado

The City of Fort Collins worked in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (US FWS) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife to re-introduce black-footed ferrets at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and Meadow Springs Ranch, about 25 miles north of Fort Collins.