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The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), also known as the American polecat [4] or prairie dog hunter, [5] is a species of mustelid native to central North America. The black-footed ferret is roughly the size of a mink and is similar in appearance to the European polecat and the Asian steppe polecat. It is largely nocturnal and solitary ...
The modern classification arose in 1982 when Phillip M. Youngman placed the black-footed ferret into Putorius. [3] The ancestor of modern polecats and ferrets and earliest true polecat is considered to be Mustela stromeri , a smaller species whose size indicated polecats evolved at a late period.
Skeleton of a black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) on display at the Museum of Osteology. Within a large range of variation, the mustelids exhibit some common characteristics. They are typically small animals with elongated bodies, short legs, short skulls, short, round ears, and thick fur. [5]
The animal was a black-footed ferret, once abundant in the American West with a range that stretched into Canada and Mexico, but by the 1980s the species was believed to have been wiped out.
The story of the black-footed ferrets is a wild one. Their numbers declined precipitously in the twentieth century due to the declining population of prairie dogs (their main source of food) as ...
The black-footed ferret species was thought to be extinct in 1981, but was later rediscovered and has now been given a second chance thanks to conservation efforts. The aim is to work towards ...
In the United States, the term polecat is sometimes applied to the black-footed ferret, a native member of the Mustelinae. In Southern United States dialect, the term polecat is sometimes used as a colloquial nickname for the skunk , which is part of the family Mephitidae .
Musteloidea is a superfamily of carnivoran mammals united by shared characteristics of the skull and teeth. Musteloids are the sister group of pinnipeds, the group which includes seals. [1] Musteloidea comprises the following families: Ailuridae, the red panda (and its extinct kin).