The Black Footed Ferret is a mammal that is a nocturnal carnivore, but is close to the brink of extinction. The ferret gets its name not only from the black colors around his legs, but also from the dark spots around its eyes, and tail. The Ferret’s body is about 15 to 20 inches long, with a tail of about 4 to 5 inches long. They have small legs, but sharp claws for digging their homes, or into the prey’s homes. They also have very strong jaws made for chewing meat of the prey.
The Ferrets are native to North America, from Southern Canada to Northern Mexico. The Black Footed Ferrets were considered extinct in the 1970’s but were rediscovered in 1981. 2 surviving populations were found, with only 18 ferrets. The remaining 18 ferrets were then captured for captive breeding. As of 2013 estimates, 500 Black Footed Ferrets are in the wild, while 300 are still in captive breeding. They were relocated to Eight U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. …show more content…
And the reason that is hurting their existence is because not only do they lose their homes, but also their prey’s home. The Black Footed Ferret eats squirrels, mice, and other rodents, but their main course is the prairie dog. The Ferrets size allows them to go into the burrows of the prairie dog, and because they are nocturnal predators, they kill the prairie dogs while they are sleeping. Then when the ferret’s homes are attacked by their predators, they rely on abandoned prairie dog burrows for shelter. Also a disease known as the sylvatic plague, caused by fleas is killing off the
The Ferrets are native to North America, from Southern Canada to Northern Mexico. The Black Footed Ferrets were considered extinct in the 1970’s but were rediscovered in 1981. 2 surviving populations were found, with only 18 ferrets. The remaining 18 ferrets were then captured for captive breeding. As of 2013 estimates, 500 Black Footed Ferrets are in the wild, while 300 are still in captive breeding. They were relocated to Eight U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. …show more content…
And the reason that is hurting their existence is because not only do they lose their homes, but also their prey’s home. The Black Footed Ferret eats squirrels, mice, and other rodents, but their main course is the prairie dog. The Ferrets size allows them to go into the burrows of the prairie dog, and because they are nocturnal predators, they kill the prairie dogs while they are sleeping. Then when the ferret’s homes are attacked by their predators, they rely on abandoned prairie dog burrows for shelter. Also a disease known as the sylvatic plague, caused by fleas is killing off the