The Black footed ferret is one of the ten thousand, seven hundred twenty-one endangered animals our planet today. I chose this particular ferret because of their level of endangerment and unique characteristics. The black footed ferret has a long, sly body and different coloration patterns to help capture their prey. The black footed ferrets habitat has some interesting charistics too. Animal’s Habitat:
Around the area the black footed ferret is native to, you can find an abundance of prairie dog burrows. Black footed ferrets like the open grasslands with grass that is short or medium length. Although Black footed ferrets eat prairie dogs, this is also where they get their homes from. As you may have guessed, prairie dogs are native to the black footed ferrets and its habitat. Although black footed ferrets are critically endangered, you may still find them in the grasslands of, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, and parts of Canada and Mexico. Although like every wild animal, the black footed ferret has many predators, and also prey that keep it alive.
Prey and Predator:
This amazing and interesting ferret has various species of prey from its most common, prairie dogs to mice, rabbits, and gophers. They then range to their not so-common prey, hedgehogs, small mammals, possums, and other small to medium sized rodents. Unlike some animals which, eat a variety of things from vegetation to meat, the black footed ferret has only been observed eating meat making it a carnivore. The black footed ferret is also hunted for many animals such as owls, foxes, and badgers. Luckily this ferret uses it long body, big ears, big eyes, and coloration to help get away from predators. They also use these unique characteristics to help pursue and capture prey. They first use their ears to listen intensively, then they use their eyes to get a sight on their target, then finally race along the grassland, tunnels, and rocks to pounce and enjoy their meal. They also escape predators by dodging attacks with their sly abilities, use their ears to hear them coming and their eyes to keep sight on their predator. This great ferret also has some other characteristics.
Characteristics:
Although you may have seen pictures of this rare ferret, it may be hard to see their features. These animals are nocturnal leading to it being challenging to actually get or see these animals pictures or see its features. The black footed ferret has a long, yellowish body with brown fur and black patterns on its back. The black footed ferret also has a black tipped tail, black paws, long claws for gripping the terrain of their habitat, and a black mask like pattern around their eyes. This particular ferrets ears are big and round allowing them to hear prey and predators far away. Black footed ferrets also have a white snout, forehead, and throat. They also have black noses. Being a ferret it is very small and is only eighteen to twenty four inches tall and or long. Due to the black footed ferrets height it has stubby legs. They also have sharp teeth to be able to rip through meat and flesh of their prey. Being very small, black footed ferrets only weigh fifteen to twenty-five pounds. Like cats, black footed ferrets have big eyes that shine when a light is flashed at them, mostly at night. This animals’ colorations them to blend in with the dark night or in the grasslands. Sadly, this beautiful, sly, and unique animal is on the edge of extinction.
Causes for Endangerment:
Black footed ferrets are on the route to extinction due to many human realated reasons. Things such as habitat loss due to, plowing and building and non-native disease brought by humans or other animals brought into the habitat are killing them. Loss of their main prey, prairie dogs, are slowly leading them to starvation and without homes. Approximately six hundred are alive today with only half living in the wild.
