American polecats (Black-footed ferret)

The American polecat, also known as the "Black-footed ferret," is a mustelid species native to central North America that is in risk of extinction. These mustelids, which resemble European Polecats (Mustela putorius), are around the size of minks and have long, thin bodies. Black lines border their paws, ears, tail, and some of their facial features. The arched claws on their toes are hidden by the hair that covers the whole surface of their feet, including the soles. The males are 10% bigger than the females, exhibiting sexual dimorphism in their size.

Due to the fact that Prairie dogs make up roughly 90% of American polecats' food, they are also known as "Prairie dog hunters." The remainder comprises of lagomorphs and rodents such ground squirrels, jackrabbits, larks, meadowlarks, cottontails, voles, mice, and sandpipers.

Any sizable colony of medium- to large-sized colonial ground squirrels, like Richardson's ground squirrels, may offer a significant food base and a source of burrows for black-footed ferrets, according to anecdotal reports and 42% of the fossil records that were studied. This shows that there was never an obligatory predator-prey interaction between prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets in the past. The current population of black-footed ferrets is thought to be a relic population, and the species has probably always been scarce.