Black-footed Ferret

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Today for my endangered animal blog, I decided to talk about the black-footed ferret. The black-footed ferret is one of North America's most endangered mammals. These ferrets are also called Mustela nigripes. These ferrets are about 18 to 24 inches and weigh in at about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds. There are approximately around 390 in the world. These ferrets are officially on the endangered list. 
"Biologists estimate that there should be 3,000 adult ferrets in the wild to successfully recover this endangered species."

These ferrets live in North America, and they were once actually thought to have been extinct until the year of 1981 when in Wyoming, they were rediscovered. They live in grasslands or, more specifically, the Great Northern Plains. 

These ferrets are rather important to their ecosystems as their recovery signifies the health of grassland ecosystems, which is how they survive. The reason for their decline is due to the fact that most of their habitats are getting destroyed and due to non-native diseases that kill them. If they go extinct, these grassland ecosystems will slowly die. 
There are many conservation efforts happening, including those working hard to try and restore these ferret numbers. The way that the studying of geography aids could aid in the conservation of these species and places is by showing how these habitats being destroyed are hurting these numbers and how by protecting their homes, their numbers stop decreasing. 



1.) Keep the habitats thriving
2.) Adopt a black-footed ferret
3.) Go to Worldwildlife.org and take action 
(https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/black-footed-ferret)
4.) Donate to causes surrounding these animals
5.) Protect their food sources



https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/black-footed-ferret








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