Top 10 Incredible Black-Footed Ferret Facts
1 : Black-footed ferrets are mammals with long, thin bodies covered in cream-colored fur. As their name suggests, they have black feet, but they also have black-tipped tails.
2 : Black-footed ferrets favor living in plains and grasslands, where they remain all year round as they don’t migrate. During the winter seasons, these ferrets will stay in their burrows for extended periods to avoid the cold.
3 : Their long, thin bodies allow the ferrets to hunt for prairie dogs as they can easily slip into their burrows while hunting. They also have strong jaws to catch, hold, and kill prairie dogs.
4 : Black-footed ferrets are solitary mammals, but they sometimes form groups called a ‘business.’ A ‘business’ consists of at least three ferrets. If a ferret spots a possible predator near its burrow, it will chatter and hiss.
5 : The IUCN Red List records the black-footed ferret as endangered. Black-footed ferrets hunt prairie dogs which often carry the sylvatic plague.
6 : The Defenders of Wildlife Resource estimates that only 300 black-footed ferrets are left in the wild. According to data from 2016, an additional 300 black-footed ferrets live in captive breeding facilities.
7 : Black-footed ferrets are carnivores, and most of their diet consists of prairie dogs. Researchers estimate that one black-footed ferret will eat 100 prairie dogs each year.
8 : Black-footed ferrets face other threats like habitat loss and farmers. Due to expanding farmlands and land development, their habitat options are declining.
9 : Black-footed ferrets breed between March and April. Unlike most species, the female competes with other females for the male. Female ferrets are pregnant for 41 to 43 days and give birth to three to four babies, known as kits.
10 : the black-footed ferret hisses to show agitation or fear. During mating, males make a sound known as a ‘chortle.’ Females also make whimpering sounds that signal their kits to follow.