Black-footed Ferret
Conservation status
Critically Imperiled (TNC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Mustelidae Genus: Mustela Species: M. nigripes
Binomial name
Mustela nigripes (Audubon & Bachman, 1851)

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. It should not be confused with the domesticated ferret. http://gimp-savvy. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_TNC_G1. ... The NatureServe conservation status system was developed by NatureServe, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Natural Heritage Network as a ranking of the relative imperilment of species on global, national and/or regional levels. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in female mammary glands and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in... Families 17, See classification The diverse order Carnivora (IPA: or IPA: ; from Latin carō (stem carn-) flesh, + vorāre to devour) includes over 260 placental mammals. ... Subfamilies Lutrinae Melinae Mellivorinae Taxidiinae Mustelinae Mustelidae is a family of carnivorous mammals. ... Alternate uses: Weasel (disambiguation) Species Mustela africana Mustela altaica Mustela erminea Mustela eversmannii Mustela felipei Mustela frenata Mustela kathiah Mustela lutreola Mustela lutreolina Mustela nigripes Mustela nivalis Mustela nudipes Mustela putorius Mustela sibirica Mustela strigidorsa Mustela vison Weasels are mammals in the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... John James Audubon John James Audubon[1] (April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was a Franco-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. ... Rev. ... 1851 (MDCCCLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in female mammary glands and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Subfamilies Lutrinae Melinae Mellivorinae Taxidiinae Mustelinae Mustelidae is a family of carnivorous mammals. ... It has been suggested that boogle be merged into this article or section. ... Species Mustela vison Mustela vison evergladensis Mustela lutreola Mustela macrodon A mink is any of several furry, dark-coloured, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and the otters. ... Polecat may refer to: One of several species of weasel: European polecat marbled polecat steppe polecat Skunks, or other members of the Mephitidae family Lineman (occupation), sometimes colloquially referred to as polecats The Polecats, a 1980s British new wave/rockabilly band Polecat (band) Typical Barbershop Songs Lockheed Martin Polecat, an... Species Martes americana Martes flavigula Martes foina Martes gwatkinsii Martes martes Martes melampus Martes pennanti Martes zibellina for the Wiltshire village see Marten, Wiltshire The Martens constitute the genus Martes within the subfamily Mustelinae, in family Mustelidae. ... Genera Amblonyx Aonyx Enhydra Lontra Lutra Lutrogale Pteronura The otter (lutrinae) is a carnivorous aquatic or marine mammal part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, as well as others. ... Genera  Arctonyx  Melogale  Meles  Mellivora  Taxidea For other uses, see Badger (disambiguation). ... Trinomial name Mustela putorius furo (Linnaeus, 1758) In general use, a ferret is a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo). ...

The Black-footed Ferret is an endangered mammal in North America, according to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). They became extinct in the wild in Canada in 1937, and were classified as endangered in the U.S. in 1967. The last known wild population was taken into captivity in the mid-1980s, a few years after its accidental discovery in Wyoming. Release of captive animals has successfully re-introduced the species to parts of its former habitat but the populations are still small. An endangered species is a species whose population is so small that it is in danger of becoming extinct. ... North America North America is a continent [1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... The USFWS logo The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a unit of the United States Department of the Interior that is dedicated to managing and preserving wildlife. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 km²)  - Width 280 miles (450 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 0. ...

Physical description

Black-footed Ferrets are about 45 cm (18 in) long, with a furry 15 cm (6 in) tail, and they weigh roughly 1 kg (2 lbs). Like most members of the family, they are very low to the ground with an elongated body and very short legs. 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. These blend in well with the prairie ecosystem in which they live. They do not change their habitat over the seasons.

Black-footed Ferret

Image File history File links Black_footed_ferret_whole. ... Image File history File links Black_footed_ferret_whole. ...

Ecology and behavior

They are nocturnal hunters that require a plentiful supply of prairie dogs for prey. Though they will also eat other small mammals, birds, and insects, 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. Typically a prairie dog colony 125 acres in size will provide a sufficiently stable prey population for one adult ferret. The ferrets are entirely dependent on the prairie dogs for their survival, and even shelter in prairie dog burrows during the day. A nocturnal animal is one that sleeps during the day and is active at night - the opposite of the human (diurnal) schedule. ... Species Cynomys gunnisoni Cynomys leucurus Cynomys ludovicianus Cynomys mexicanus Cynomys parvidens The prairie dog (Cynomys) is a small, burrowing rodent native to the grasslands of North America. ...

Conservation status

The loss of their prairie grassland habitat, the drastic reduction of prairie dog numbers (through both habitat loss and poisoning), and the effects of canine distemper and sylvatic plague (similar to bubonic plague) have all contributed to the near-extinction of the species during the 19th and 20th centuries. Even 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. John Bachman. Even then, their existence was questioned since no other Black-footed Ferrets were reported for over twenty years. Prairie grasses Prairie refers to an area of land of low topographic relief that historically supported grasses and herbs, with few trees, and having generally a mesic (moderate or temperate) climate. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Canine distemper is a viral disease affecting animals in the families Canidae, Mustelidae, Mephitidae, Procyonidae, and possibly Felidae (though not domestic cats; feline distemper or panleukopenia is a similar, but different, virus exclusive to cats). ... The bubonic plague or bubonic fever is the best-known variant of the deadly infectious disease caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... 1851 (MDCCCLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... John James Audubon John James Audubon[1] (April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was a Franco-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. ... Rev. ...

Black-footed ferret kits

In 1981, a very small population of about 130 animals was discovered near Meeteetse, Wyoming. Soon after discovery, the population began a rapid decline due to disease. By 1986, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department led a cooperative program to capture the 18 remaining animals and begin an intensive captive breeding program. At that time, the entire world population amounted to about 50 individuals in captivity. Image File history File links Black_footes_ferret_pups. ... Image File history File links Black_footes_ferret_pups. ... Meeteetse is a town located in Park County, Wyoming. ...

U.S. federal and state agencies in cooperation with private landowners, conservation groups, Native Americans, and North American zoos, have been actively reintroducing ferrets back into the wild since 1991. Beginning in Wyoming, reintroduction efforts have since expanded to sites in Montana, South Dakota, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Chihuahua, Mexico. Proposed reintroduction sites have been identified in Canada. However, in May 2000, the Canadian Species at Risk Act listed the black-footed ferret an being an extirpated species in Canada.

As of 2005, conservationists estimate a total wild population of 400 black-footed ferrets in the United States. While the IUCN formally classifies them as extinct in the wild, this is due to the last update to the redlist assessment having been in 1996 when the species was indeed only surviving in captivity (Mustelid Specialist Group, 1996). The Black-footed Ferret is listed as "Endangered" under the Endangered Species Act since September 20, 2005. The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The recovery plan calls for the establishment of 10 or more separate, self-sustaining wild populations. Biologists hope to have 1500 Black-footed Ferrets established in the wild by the year 2010, with at least 30 breeding adults in each population. Meeting this objective would allow the conservation status of the species to be downgraded to threatened. The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... The threatened categories (IUCN Red List) Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants, fungi, insects, bugs, etc. ...

References

• Mustelid Specialist Group (1996). Mustela nigripes. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

• Prairie Wildlife Research, whose mission is to conserve and research wildlife species of the prairie.
• Bagheera An educational website about Earth's Endangered Animals
• Facts about the Black-footed Ferret from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park website
• Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team website, from a team led by the USFWS
• Black-footed Ferret Video
• Black-footed Ferrets in Arizona Arizona Game and Fish Department
• Black-Footed Ferret Recovery – At the Crossroads, a USFWS 1995 article
• Q&A about their reintroduction into south-central South Dakota, a USFWS 2002 article
• National Parks Conservation Association
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Species Profile

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