Black-Footed+Ferret

Black-Footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes)
 * Name:** Courtney Weber

This mammal is a member of the weasel family. It can grow up to two feet in length, has a long skinny tail, and only weighs about two pounds. It blends in well with its prarie environment with tan/white fur. The tail and feet are striped in black. Their short legs are ideal for digging and the eyes and ears provide for keen senses. Black-Footed Ferrets mainly eat prarie dogs, but also ground squirrels, rabbits, and birds. Females generally produce up to seven young (kits) each spring during live birth.
 * Description:**


 * Habitat:** Black-Footed Ferrets live throughout the Great Plains wherever Prarie Dogs thrive. The numbers of this animal has decreased to less than 2% of what it once was. They live within Prarie Dog communities and spend most of their time in the underground burrows and give birth there. They spend very little time above ground each day. Black-Footed Ferrets aren't very active in the winter, but they don't hibernate or migrate. They are hunted by coyotes, great-horned owls, eagles, badgers, bobcats and foxes.


 * Problems:** The main reason this population almost became extinct is population loss. Grasslands, where they thrive, have been converted to agricultural uses. Additionally, the number of prarie dogs has decreased, so the ferrets' main food source has declined.


 * Solutions:** A Black-Footed Ferret Recovery plan was approved in 1978. In the 1980's, data was collected, several ferrets were taken into captivity, and a breeding program was started in an attempt to save the species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established a Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Implamenation Team to continue recovery efforts. Since then, several conservation and recovery centers have been established, and some ferrets have been reintroduced to their natural habitat.


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