Black Footed Ferret Research Paper

The Black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes, is in the order Carnivora and the Family Mustelidae. The Black-footed ferret (BFF) looks like that of a weasel, with a body that is long, slender, weighting up to two pounds, with yellowish fur, and black fur on their feet, legs, tail tip, and a mask on their face[1]. They are closely related to the Siberian polecat and the European polecat[1]. They are fossorial and nocturnal hunters that can be seen during the day[1]. Most of their diet is prairie dogs, but they do eat voles, rabbits, and mice on occasion[1]. They hunt for their food year-round, even in deep snows and negative temperatures[1]. They are capable of digging well, but instead utilize pre-dug prairie dog burrows as their homes[1].
It is said that they can live in the wild for 3 to 5 years, and that male BFFs are larger than the females[2]. Early numbers for BFF populations say there was upwards of one million, and five billion prairie dogs[2]. Since the burrows are …show more content…
While they can eat voles, mice, and some cottontails, they are an obligate species of the prairie dogs[2]. They not only used them as their main source of prey, but they live in their burrow systems as well[2]. So, the decline of the prairie dog habitat to as low as 2% of their traditional range is a problem for the BFF[2]. The reasons behind the decline of the prairie dog include disease, poisonings, and human land utilization[2]. In regards to BFF reintroduction, there is some resistance from the local property owners[2]. Other threats to the BFF include diseases like 100% fatal canine distemper, the sylvatic plague, and other diseases[2]. The sylvatic plague was introduced over a hundred years ago, and can kill both the BFF and prairie dogs[3]. They state that inbreeding depression, that has reduced their reproductive success and depressed their immune system, as major threats as