History and Decline

Evolutionary History of Black-footed Ferrets

Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) are the only ferret species endemic to North America and have been classified as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since l967. Within the genus Mustela, ferrets belong to the subgenus Putorius, from which there are only three extant species: M. putorius, the European polecat; M. eversmanni, the Siberian, or steppe polecat; and M. nigripes, the black-footed ferret. The European polecat lives in open forests and meadows, and is thought to be the ancestor of the domestic ferret. The Siberian polecat looks more similar to the black-footed ferret and leads a similar life on open grasslands and semi desert regions across Russia, China and Siberia.

Domestic Ferret

Siberian Polecat

Black-footed Ferret

Ferrets probably evolved in Europe, between three and four million years ago, from weasel-like ancestors. The earliest known ferret species, M. stromeri, probably gave rise to M. putorius and M. eversmanni during the middle Pleistocene. Ferrets dispersed from Siberia into North America during the late Pleistocene across the Bering land bridge, and advanced southeastward to the Great Plains through ice-free passageways. Over thousands of years of coevolution with prairie dogs as prey, their behavior and biology gradually changed to suit their environment, and thus, they evolved into today's black-footed ferret. Although the first occurrence of black-footed ferrets is uncertain, scientists speculate

The historical range of the black-footed ferret coincided with ranges of the black-tailed white-tailed, and Gunnison’s prairie dogs

Black-footed ferrets once occurred in grassland habitats throughout the Great Plains in 12 states and two Canadian provinces, and likely portions of northern Mexico. Originally, the prairie dog ecosystem occupied 20 percent of the entire western rangeland, allowing ferrets to cover a large geographic range. Today, less than two percent of their original geographic distribution remains. The black-footed ferret's current status is a sign of its exclusive dependence on this dramatically impacted ecosystem.

History of Black-footed Ferret Decline and Birth of Recovery Program

Throughout their history, black-footed ferrets have been elusive. None of the early explorers, mountain men, or pioneers who crossed the Great Plains by wagon-train ever mentioned ferrets. They were occasionally listed in fur company records from the upper Missouri River basin in the early to mid-1800s. Black-footed ferrets were not officially recognized by scientists until 1851 in a book by naturalist John James Audubon and the Reverend John Bachmann

First described by Audubon and Bachman in 1851

Audubon and Bachman first described black-footed ferrets in 1851 from a single specimen found near the lower waters of the Platte River. They were not mentioned again by science until 1857. Even at the time they were thought to be rare, secretive and elusive. They were so elusive to humans that shortly after Audubon’s description, controversy brewed over their true existence. For over 25 years no other specimens were obtained, nor were they observed in the wild. Also, the original specimen had disappeared, adding fuel to the controversial fire. Then, in 1874, Dr. Elliot Coues took on the challenge of assisting Audubon and issued a request through the popular magazine American Sportsmen for specimens and was soon rewarded. With these he was able to augment Audubon’s description of black-footed ferrets and relieve the natural history community of this controversy. Black-footed ferrets did indeed exist.

Coyote (Canis latrans) in Colorado

In the decades following their discovery, European settlement across North America changed the landscape rapidly and dramatically. Through the plowing of the land and poisoning of prairie dogs, the habitat was transformed into largely exclusive crop and grazing land respectively. As their habitat and primary food and shelter source diminished, so did the black-footed ferret. Remaining ferret populations suffered from prairie dog town fragmentation due to development and farming and diseases such as canine distemper and sylvatic plague. The prairie ecosystem was further transformed by the poisoning, trapping and shooting of other prairie denizens such as badgers, coyotes, and foxes. These activities disrupted the natural processes of the ecosystem. Also, in the case of poisonings, often there can be secondary effects when non-target species consume a poisoned animal and subsequently die.

Historical photo of a black-footed ferret

In the 1950s, ferrets were still thought to occur in low densities throughout most of their historic range. However, the only known population of black-footed ferrets was a small colony in southwestern South Dakota by the 1960’s. This colony was studied from its discovery in l964 until it disappeared in l974 for unknown reasons. With the disappearance of the South Dakota colony, biologists feared the species was extinct, or existed in such small populations that natural disaster or disease might eventually eliminate them.

The famous Shep is the black dog in the center of the photo

Lucky for black-footed ferrets, a farm dog named Shep found a ferret in 1981 in northwestern Wyoming and brought him home. The ranchers could not identify the animal so called the local taxidermist who identified the incredibly rare and sought after black-footed ferret. He contacted wildlife professionals and the black-footed ferret recovery program was born.

This event led to the dramatic discovery of a small group of about 130 ferrets near Meeteetse, Wyoming in 1981 and offered a ray of hope for the species. Research conducted on the Meeteetse ferrets provided important new information on the life history and behavior of this secretive mammal. Tragically, outbreaks of canine distemper, and probably sylvatic plague, nearly killed all of the Meeteetse population. The remaining 18 ferrets were taken into captivity between 1985 and 1987 in an effort to save the species. At that time, these last known ferrets were probably the rarest mammals on earth.

Historic photo of the Sybille Canyon, WY facility

Since 1991, federal and state agencies, in cooperation with private landowners, conservation groups, Native Americans, and the North American zoo community, have been actively reintroducing ferrets back into the wild from captive breeding facilities. Beginning in Wyoming, reintroduction efforts have since expanded to sites in Montana, South Dakota, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Kansas and Mexico. To learn more about reintroduction, visit our Reintroduction page.

The 1988 Recovery Plan for the black-footed ferret calls for the establishment of 10 or more separate, free-ranging wild populations. By the year 2010, biologists hope to have 1500 ferrets established in the wild, with no fewer than 30 breeding adults in each population. If these objectives are met, the ferret could be downlisted from endangered to threatened status.