It is not that people who live here have any quarrel with black-footed ferrets.

Black-footed ferrets, which feed upon prairie dogs, are also rare.

All black-footed ferrets today are descended from these animals.

Black-footed ferrets are a little longer and more muscular than their domesticated cousins.

Female black-footed ferrets have smaller home ranges than males.

Even then, their existence was questioned since no other Black-footed Ferrets were reported for over twenty years.

The type of prairie dog burrow may be important for occupancy by black-footed ferrets.

Wildlife biologists raise black-footed ferrets in an attempt to restore an almost extinct species.

Traps set for coyotes, American mink, and other animals may harm black-footed ferrets.

Meeteetse was where the last known wild population of black-footed ferrets was discovered in 1981.

Game and Fish Department officials hope to use their offspring to test breeding methods before they are tried on the black-footed ferrets.

Its predators include black-footed ferrets, badgers, and golden eagles.

In captivity, gestation of black-footed ferrets lasts 42-45 days.

In 1981, a colony of black-footed ferrets, an animal previously thought to be extinct, was discovered on the ranch.

Black-footed ferrets are extremely sensitive to plague.

In South Dakota, black-footed ferrets associate with black-tailed prairie dogs.

Black-footed ferrets use prairie dog burrows for raising young, avoiding predators, and thermal cover.

Black-footed ferrets are susceptible to numerous diseases.

Other diseases that black-footed ferrets are susceptible to include rabies, tularemia, and human influenza.

Mrs. Scheifele brought them "so I can talk about their cousins, the black-footed ferrets."

There are now 11 separate populations of black-footed ferrets, with the largest in Conata, Colo.

High densities of prairie dog burrows provide the greatest amount of cover for black-footed ferrets.

Disease and inbreeding depression may have also contributed, as studies on black-footed ferrets from Meeteetse revealed low levels of genetic variation.

As late as 1920, black-footed ferrets thrived on the Western plains from Colorado to Canada.

Little is known about the breeding habits of black-footed ferrets in the wild but males in other ferret species exhibit very aggressive behavior, he said.