Black-footed Ferret

The Black-footed Ferret is an endangered animal that needs to be preserved, which has twice been in a near-extinction state. Originally, the Black-footed Ferret was native to the Great Plains of North America and lived mainly from southern Canada to northern Mexico. In 1979, The population of the Black-footed Ferret abruptly declined throughout the 20th century and was declared extinct. Then, it was listed as "extinct in the wild" in 1996 and downgraded back to "endangered" in the IUCN Red List in 2008.

Black-footed Ferret was later found back in 1981, since then, a captive breeding program was launched by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and thousands of Black-footed Ferrets were re-released in Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana throughout the last few decades. The program has mostly been a success, recent updates only put the wild Black-footed Ferret population between 300 to 400 individuals.

Each black-footed ferret is roughly the size of a mink and is similar in appearance to the European polecat and the Asian steppe polecat. This animal is significantly nocturnal and solitary, except when breeding or raising a litter. Almost, up to 90% of its diet is composed of prairie dogs. In 2021, the first successful clone of a black-footed ferret, a female named Elizabeth Ann, was introduced to the public.

Location: Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana, USA

Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: 300 to 400 in the wild

Current Conservation Status: Endangered

Scientific Name: Mustela nigripes