The black-footed ferret is the only ferret native to North America. The European polecat and the steppe or Siberian polecat are its closest living relatives in the wild.

Ecological niche Black-footed ferrets are important members of the ecosystem, both as predators, mainly of prairie dogs, thus controlling their populations, and as prey for their natural predators.

Black-footed ferrets can be found in the short or middle grass prairies and rolling hills of North America. Each ferret typically needs about 100-120 acres of space upon which to forage for food. They live within the abandoned burrows of prairie dogs and use these complex underground tunnels for shelter and hunting.

Despite their growing numbers, the black-footed ferret is still threatened, primarily due to the shrinking numbers of their main prey: prairie dogs. Due to habitat loss and a strain of prairie dog plague, the ferrets’ main source of food is dwindling.

For now, there are roughly 300 to 400 wild ferrets. Many populations continue to face the threat of sylvatic plague—an exotic, infectious bacterial disease that has wiped out entire colonies of prairie dogs. That spells trouble for black-footed ferrets, who prey on prairie dogs almost exclusively.

Germs can spread from ferret bites and scratches, even if the wound does not seem deep or serious. Ferret bites can become seriously infected or spread rabies, especially if the ferret is unvaccinated and has had contact with a rabid animal. Young children are especially at risk for bites from ferrets.

In addition to helping them develop stronger immune systems, dog hair isn’t as dangerous as some people believe. The myth that pet hair can get inside your liver and cause trauma is entirely baseless. That goes double for your kids. Even though they can’t digest the hair, it won’t be there very long.

When you’re snipping, brushing, and shaving an animal’s fur, it’s no surprise that tiny hairs and clumps of fur are flying through the air. If you’re breathing in tiny particles of dead skin and fur, this material can get deep into your lungs, accumulating over time.