Black-footed Ferret
Mustela nigripes
North America's only native ferret, a prairie hunter that was nearly lost and saved by breeding programs.
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About the Black-footed Ferret
Black-footed ferrets are 18 to 24 inches long, including the tail, and weigh 1.5 to 2.5 pounds. Their tan fur blends with prairie soil. They once lived across the Great Plains wherever prairie dogs lived. About 90 percent of their diet is prairie dogs, and they live, hunt and raise young in prairie dog burrows. They are mostly active at night.[1]
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Mustela nigripes[1]
- Size
- 18 to 24 inches long, including a 5- to 6-inch tail.[1]
- Weight
- 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.[1]
- Lifespan
- Usually 3 to 4 years.[1]
- Diet
- Carnivore. About 90 percent prairie dogs.[1]
- Habitat
- Prairie grasslands with prairie dog colonies.[1]
- Where it lives
- The Great Plains; reintroduced in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana and Arizona.[1]
- Group life
- Solitary. Mostly nocturnal.[1]
- Babies
- Usually 3 to 4 kits after a 41- to 43-day pregnancy.[1]
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2015).[2]
Fun facts
Vocabulary
- prairie
- A large, flat grassland.
- reintroduce
- To return animals to a place where they used to live.
- extinct
- No longer living anywhere.
- carnivore
- An animal that eats mostly meat.
- endangered
- A conservation label meaning a species faces a very high risk of dying out in the wild.
See it in person
- Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Small Mammal HouseSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗
These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.
Sources
- [1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Black-footed ferret.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/black-footed-ferret (accessed 2026-10-08)
- [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Mustela nigripes (Black-footed Ferret).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/14020/45200314 (accessed 2026-10-08)
Facts last checked 2026-10-08.
