The Black Footed Ferret
By: Geena Kumaran, Teacher: Mrs. Wasser, Pd: 3
BACKGROUND
Driving Question: How can I create a flyer that will raise awareness on the endangerment of the black footed ferret
The black footed ferret is also know as the The American polecat and is threatened by habitat loss, non-native disease, and its loss of prey. They live in grasslands in Central America, they live for 3-4 years. They are nocturnal and natural predators of prairie dogs. They were declared "globally extinct" in 1979. They were rediscovered in 1981 outside of Meeteetse, Wyoming. The Captive Breeding Program contains 3/4 of the population which is about 300 in the wild.
Picture credit: www.wipikpedia.org by Mariomassone
They have a tan, long slender body black feet and legs and a black tip on its tail and a black mask (like a superhero). It has long teeth and large skull. Its front paws are very little and are armed with claws. It is majorly dependent on prairie dogs for food and shelter because its they use their abandoned burrows for their homes. It is the most endangered animal in the world. It has been endangered since March 11 1967.
REPRODUCTION
Kits are born blind
stay underground until 2 months old
then takes the kits on hunting forays
in October the kits are independent and able to live by themselves
GESTATION
MATING SEASON
LITTER SIZE
3-4 average
- Ranges from 1-7 kits
DETAILS
Animal
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Family:
Mustelidae
BEHAVIOR
They are nocturnal so they come out at night
90%-underground10%-out of their burrows at night
THREATS
- habitat loss
- non-native disease
- loss of prey
HEIGHT, WEIGHT, LENGTH
- 6 inches
- 1.5-2.5 pounds
- 18 to 24 inches
LIFE SPAN
In captivity: 8-9 years
DIET
They are carnivores so they eat other animals
90%- prairie dogs
10%- ground squirrels, rodents, rabbits and birds
As mentioned before, they are natural predators of prairie dogs.
*In 1997 an outbreak of sylvatic plague wiped out the Black footed ferrets main food source: the prairie dog which caused a major deplete in the population of the black footed ferret*
GROUND SQUIRRELS
PICTURE CREDIT
RABBIT
PICTURE CREDIT
PRAIRIE DOG
PICTURE CREDIT
BABY BLACK FOOTED FERRET
Picture credit:
POPULATION SIZE OF WILD AND CAPTIVE BLACK FOOTED FERRETS IN THE US
Picture credit:
THEY LIVE IN CENTRAL AMERICA
PICTURE CREDIT
www.defenders.org by unknown
www.zooborns.com BY Smithsonian National Zoo
THE PREDATORS OF THE BLACK FOOTED FERRET
Great Horned Owl
www.audubon.org by Johann Schumacher
Badger
www.owenslaterphotography.com by Owen Slater
Coyote
PICTURE CREDIT
www.westernwild.org By Dave ShowalterWHAT IS BEING DONE TO SAVE THEM
- WWF released 15 black footed ferrets in September 2015 to Fort Belknap
- 52 black footed ferrets were released in 2013 and 2014 :)
- Trying to increase the population of black footed ferrets in the wild
- Introducing the black footed ferret sites
- Driving resources to recover the black footed ferret population
- Trying to extinguish the sylvatic plague
Picture credit: www.worldwildlife.org by Clay Bolt