Coal Creek Wildlife-Black-footed Ferret

Masked Bandit of the Prairies by Michael, age 8

A black-foot

ed ferret scurries across prairie dog colonies like a masked bandit, waiting for his prairie dog feast. Then he will take over the prairie dog's home, and use it for his home. Black-footed ferrets eat prairie dogs, mice, squirrels, gophers, rabbits, birds, lizards, eggs and sometimes insects. The European polecat and the steppe polecat are the black-footed ferret's closest relatives. The black-footed ferret is about 2 feet long. It has a black mask over its eyes, feet, shoulders and tail. Black-footed ferrets live all over the world except for Australia, Antarctica and most of the ocean islands.

Black-footed ferrets are one of the most endangered species in the U.S.A. So please help save them.

I got my information from BLACK-FOOTED FERRET by Denise Casey.

Black-footed Ferret by Colby, age 9

Imagine going to the zoo and seeing something that is very thin and is about 24 inches long, it may be a ferret. Does it have black markings on its legs? Can you see a black mask over its eyes? If so, it probably is a black-footed ferret. An amazing fact about the black-footed ferret is that its one of the rarest mammals in North America. The ferret belongs to the weasel family. It is also related to ermine, martens, skunks and otters. They have a black mask over their eyes, black markings on their legs and a black tip on their tails. Males are usually larger than females. The only thing it eats are prairie dogs. It tracks its prey with its powerful sense of smell, then it pounces on its prey, gripping it with its feet. Its razor sharp teeth are great for cutting the meat. A ferret has one litter per year. The babies are born about 1 1/2 months after mating, usually 3-4 young in a litter.

I got my information from WILDLIFE IN DANGER published by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and WILDLIFE OF THE WORLD, VOL. 4. published by Marshall Cavendish.

Black-footed Ferret by Austin J., age 9

If you see a little weasel-like mammal, it might be a black-footed ferret. Does it have black feet, does it have a black spot over its eyes? If it does, it is a black-footed ferret. The ferret is equipped with acute abilities to check it's prey. Its prey is mostly prairie dogs. The body of a ferret is flexible and skinny so it can go in prairie dog burrows. It is a good hunter with night vision eyes, strong jaws and good ears.

To find more about this animal look in ENDANGERED WILDLIFE.

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