Black-Footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes) is a small, carnivorous mammal native to North America, known for its distinctive dark markings on its feet, legs, and tail tip, as well as a mask-like pattern on its face. It is a member of the weasel family and has a long, slender body with a black-tipped tail. The Black-Footed Ferret is highly specialized to prairie habitats and is almost entirely dependent on prairie dogs for food and uses their burrows for shelter.
Classification of the Black-Footed Ferret:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Mustela
Species: M. nigripes
Once considered extinct in the wild, conservation efforts including captive breeding and reintroduction programs have been pivotal in the recovery of this species, though it remains endangered due to habitat loss, disease, and declining prairie dog populations.
