Basic
Information
This is an image of a Prairie dog. These make up almost 90% of a black-footed ferret's diet.
This is an image of a Prairie dog. These make up almost 90% of a black-footed ferret's diet.
The number of black-footed ferrets used to be in the tens of thousands. In the 1900s they were on the edge of extinction. By 1986, only 18 ferrets remained. Now, with help of many organizations, they're making a comeback. We're slowly releasing them back into the wild. By 2013, we approximately had 500 ferrets in the wild and 300 in captivity. Now we have almost 1000 black-footed ferrets. Interested? Watch a brief video on how they're making a comeback on the right.
Habitat
Although sometimes the black-footed ferret eats small rodents such as squirrels or mice, prairie dogs make up majority of their diet. In fact, they make up to 90% of their meals. While hunting them, the ferrets will often hide in the prairie dog's burrow. They'll sometimes chase eachother around until the black-footed ferret tackles the Prairie dog. If this action doesn't happen on land, it's in the Prairie dog's tunnels. Because Prairie dogs are a lot smaller than black-footed ferrets, the ferret uses it's slim long body to fit and turn through the tunnels. In some uncommon cases, the Prairie dog gets away. To learn some more of how the prairie dogs have almost brought the black-footed ferrets to exctinction, go to:
Diet
Population
As you may or may not have realized already, the black-footed ferret lives in the Prairies. The Canadian Prairies include: Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are partially covered by a large open area of grass. To be more specific, the black-footed ferret lives in Prairie dog towns. They even live, give birth and raise their young in Prairie dog burrows.