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Animal Weight

How much does a Black-footed ferret weight?

It is hard to guess what a Black-footed ferret weights. But we have the answer:

An adult Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) on average weights 907 grams (2 lbs).

The Black-footed ferret is from the family Mustelidae (genus: Mustela). It is usually born with about 7 grams (0.02 lbs). They can live for up to 12 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 39.7 cm (1′ 4″). Usually, Black-footed ferrets have 3 babies per litter.

As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.

The average adult weight of a Black-footed ferret is 907 grams (2 lbs)

The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), also known as the American polecat or prairie dog hunter, is a species of mustelid native to central North America. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN, because of its very small and restricted populations. The species declined throughout the 20th century, primarily as a result of decreases in prairie dog populations and sylvatic plague. It was declared extinct in 1979 until Lucille Hogg’s dog brought a dead black-footed ferret to her door in Meeteetse, Wyoming, in 1981. That remnant population of a few dozen ferrets lasted there until the animals were considered extinct in the wild in 1987. However, a captive-breeding program launched by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service resulted in its reintroduction into eight western US states, Canada, and Mexico from 1991 to 2009. Now, over 1,000 mature, wild-born individuals are in the wild across 18 populations, with five self-sustaining populations in South Dakota (two), Arizona, and Wyoming. It was first listed as “endangered” in 1982, then listed as “extinct in the wild” in 1996 before being downgraded back to “endangered” in 2008.The black-footed ferret is roughly the size of a mink, and differs from the European polecat by the greater contrast between its dark limbs and pale body and the shorter length of its black tail-tip. In contrast, differences between the black-footed ferret and the steppe polecat of Asia are slight, to the point where the two species were once thought to be conspecific. The only noticeable differences between the black-footed ferret and the steppe polecat are the former’s much shorter and coarser fur, larger ears, and longer postmolar extension of the palate.It is largely nocturnal and solitary, except when breeding or raising litters. Up to 91% of its diet is composed of prairie dogs.The black‐footed ferret experienced a recent population bottleneck in the wild followed by a more than 30-year recovery through ex situ breeding and then reintroduction into its native range. As such, this sole endemic North American ferret allows examining the impact of a severe genetic restriction on subsequent biological form and function, especially on reproductive traits and success. The black‐footed ferret was listed as endangered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1967. Declared extinct in 1979, a residual wild population was discovered in Meeteetse, Wyoming, in 1981. This cohort eventually grew to 130 individuals and was then nearly extirpated by sylvatic plague Yersinia pestis and canine distemper virus Canine morbillivirus, with eventually 18 animals remaining. These survivors were captured from 1985 to 1987 to serve as the foundation for the black‐footed ferret ex situ breeding program. Seven of those 18 animals produced offspring that survived and reproduced, and with currently living descendants, are the ancestors of all black‐footed ferrets now in the ex situ (about 320) and in situ (about 300) populations.

Animals of the same family as a Black-footed ferret

We found other animals of the Mustelidae family:

Animals with the same weight as a Black-footed ferret

As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Mustela nigripes:

Animals with the same size as a Black-footed ferret

Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Black-footed ferret:

Animals with the same litter size as a Black-footed ferret

Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (3) as a Black-footed ferret:

Animals with the same life expectancy as a Black-footed ferret

Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Black-footed ferret: