Habits
Black-footed ferrets are primarily nocturnal, making
observation difficult. Most of their daytime activity is limited to the first
few hours following sunrise. They spend most of their time underground in
prairie dog burrows, typically spending only a few minutes aboveground each day
to hunt or find new burrows or mates. In burrows they sleep, cache their food,
escape from predators and harsh weather, and give birth to their young. Ferrets
do not hibernate, but in winter, the amount of time they are active and the
distances they travel decrease substantially. They have been found to remain
underground in the same burrow system for a week at a time in winter. In
contrast, one ferret was observed traveling over 6 miles in one night during
autumn. Males are more active than females and distances traveled by males tend
to be about double that of females.
Black-footed ferrets are very
playful, especially as juveniles. Young at play will wrestle, arch their backs
and hop backward with their mouths wide open--the "ferret dance". Black-footed
ferrets are very vocal. A loud chatter is used as an alarm call. A hiss is used
to show agitation or fear, and whimpering sounds are used by females to
encourage the young to follow. Male ferrets often "chortle" to females during
breeding. |
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