Black-footed Ferret

Mustela nigripes

The black-footed ferret is one of the rarest mammals in north America, and is believed to be extirpated in Canada. Very little is known about the habits of this member of the weasel family. Ferrets are most active at dawn and dusk and live in dens that have often been usurped from rodents. Originally occupying an area from Texas to southern Canada, the ferret is confined to arid short-grass prairies. Its pelt is of no commercial value and it is also economically beneficial because of its rodent diet. They are know to eat ground squirrels, cottontails, voles, mice, and snakes, and there is one record of a black-footed ferret attacking a newborn pronghorn antelope.