A ferret from the forests of California 5 letters. Description ferret breed American Blackfoot

Kira Stoletova

The Red Book is full of various species of animals that are on the verge of extinction or have disappeared altogether. Among them is the American Blackfoot Ferret. This animal belongs to the weasel family and, due to the fault of poachers, has practically disappeared from the mainland. Thanks to the efforts of livestock breeders and local historians, Black-footed ferrets are gradually recovering their population.

This is a very unusual animal both in color and habits. Its habitat and historical homeland is North America, where they are now actively grown. After being listed in the Red Book, ferrets were actively protected, and now any hunt for these animals is strictly punishable by law.

Description of American Blackfoot ferrets

The description of this type of trore is worth special attention, because this breed has remarkable features.

Distinctive features of Blackfoot ferrets:

• The ferret has a long, elongated body and neck, short and thick legs.
• The color of the fur of such animals is yellow-brown, on the back it is darker, and towards the tail and paws it generally turns into black (hence the name Black-footed American Ferret).
• A distinctive feature of the trochee of this particular breed is the so-called mask around the eyes (the color of the hair around the eyes of such animals is black).
• Ferrets of this type have large, rounded eyes that stand out on a white muzzle, where a black nose is also visible.
• The shape of the claws is pointed and slightly curved.
• The average weight of a female is in the range of 650 to 850 g, and the male can reach a weight of 1200 g.
• On average, the length of the body in the described troreas is equal to 350-600 cm, and according to statistics, the females are always 10% less than the males of this breed.

Such an expressive appearance does not leave almost anyone indifferent, which is why hunters value the skins of such animals, although it is important to remember that now the Red Book contains the name American Black-footed Ferret, which automatically prohibits any activity aimed at depopulating the species.

American Blackfoot ferrets can be seen in nature reserves in North America. Or, if there is no way to visit another continent, anyone can easily admire the photo of the Black-Footed Ferret on the Internet.

Habitat

The black-footed ferret is an animal that was quite common until the beginning of the last century. The historical habitat of the animals is the territory stretching from the south of Canada to the north of Mexico. For North America, this species is the only indigenous representative. To date, a tourist can observe the described ferrets only in 3 territorial limits in the northeast of Montana, in the western part of South Dakota and in the southeast of the state. Wyoming. In addition to natural habitats, people can also contemplate how the American ferret behaves in a zoo or reserve. In places of natural settlement, the population was restored. The recovery continues to this day.

Knowing the range of these animals, it is quite simple to guess about the conditions of their residence:

• Steppe and hilly terrain in the vastness of North America.
• An abandoned burrow left by a prairie dog often becomes a haven for American ferrets (in such burrows it is easier for animals to make tunnels and hide from hunting).
• To get food, one representative of such a breed, according to average indications, requires a lot of space: within 40-45 hectares.
• Females with offspring need even more space to survive: up to 55 hectares.
• One male can introduce several females into the range at once.

The black-footed ferret is a freedom-loving creature that requires a large amount of free space for a normal existence. Such animals do not tolerate restrictions and even in zoos they always get a large territory.

The life of such animals is no less interesting: the way of life that they lead should be worthy of special attention. The attitude towards the weasel family has left its mark on the habits and habits of ferrets.

Lifestyle and nutrition

The American ferret is predominantly nocturnal. This is a predatory animal, the activity of which occurs at night. Having a good sense of smell and even sharper hearing, representatives of this breed can orientate easily without sunlight. The black coat allows them to be less visible.

During the hunt, representatives of this species climb into the holes of their victims (small rodents), where they deal with their prey, and then settle for a while. They are fast and agile, thanks to the structure of their little body.

The black-footed ferret is a lonely animal. He does not try to get into the flock and only during the breeding season creates a pair.

For all these qualities, the American Ferret is a friendly and non-aggressive animal towards representatives of its species.

The diet for such animals consists of a large number of options:

• small rodents hiding in burrows;
• large insects;
• small birds, etc.

These animals, cute at first glance, are still predators. According to the statistics of livestock breeders, one black-footed ferret consumes about 100 prairie dogs during the year. In the reserves, they are specially fed, and the young are fed with milk. In the 80s of the last century, all the animals kept in captivity were released into a free habitat in order to renew the population and save the species from extinction.

Conclusion

The American ferret is a rare animal, but beautiful and unusual. The fact that it is included in the Red Book only gives this breed an aura of mystery and makes it even more interesting for people around and for tourists.

Black-footed ferret

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If there is an opportunity, then it is definitely worth watching such ferrets, because, in addition to all external indicators, they are unusually cute, and the black hair will forever remain in the memory of observers.

The black-footed ferret is a small North American carnivore of the mustelidae family. American black-footed ferrets are also called black-footed ferrets. The name comes from the English "blackfooted ferret". It must be said that this animal is one of the rarest mammals in North America. In modern times, American black-footed ferrets, unfortunately, are under threat of complete extinction. The number of American ferrets is extremely small. This is due to human development of the places where ferrets lived, as well as the fight against prairie dogs, which are the basis of ferret nutrition.

The features of the black-footed ferret include a long neck, a very squat, elongated body with very short legs. Its weight is over 1 kg. The black-footed ferret is so similar to the steppe ferret that it is perhaps only a subspecies of it.

American black-footed ferrets are nocturnal. These animals have superbly developed sense of smell, hearing and sight. As stated, American ferrets are extremely dependent on prairie dogs. Ferrets occupy their homes, and also feed on these animals. The burrow of a prairie dog, which is then occupied by a ferret, can reach a length of up to 300 m.

It should be noted that males lead a more active lifestyle than females. However, during cold weather, the activity of ferrets is much reduced, and the area of ​​the surveyed area also decreases. On snowy days, the American ferret does not leave its shelter at all and feeds exclusively on its own reserves.

Ferrets move in jumps or at a slow gallop. In one night, a ferret can walk or jump a distance of up to 10 km and develops a speed of up to 11 km / h. Males move around the area almost 2 times more than females.

Black-footed ferret color

Ferrets have white fur at the base. At the ends of the hairline, their fur is somewhat darker. Thus, the overall color of the ferret gives a yellowish brown color. The legs and tip of the tail are black. The American ferret, like its brethren, has a characteristic "black face" mask. This color scheme helps ferrets to be invisible and take shelter from danger.

Distribution and habitat

Black-footed ferrets are native to North America. It is worth recalling that these choris are now an endangered species. They are listed in the International Red Book. Basically, these animals live on the prairies (with low and medium-high grassy cover). In addition, the polecat can climb high in the mountains, up to 3000 m above sea level.

The hunt and the black-footed ferret

Mostly ferrets can be found in the habitats of prairie dogs. As mentioned earlier, prairie dogs are the main part of the diet of black-footed ferrets. However, American ferrets also hunt rabbits, gophers and birds.

Enemies of the Blackfoot Ferret

The main reason for the disappearance of black-footed ferrets is the loss of habitat. Recycling of fields and meadows, as well as a widespread prairie dog eradication program, have significantly reduced the American ferret's habitat. Remnants of habitats at this time are associated with prairie dog colonies.

The black-footed ferret eats over 100 prairie dogs in about one year. Based on this data, scientists have determined that it takes over 250 prairie dogs to support one ferret family for a year.

American ferret or the fur of this ferret

The first letter "and"

Second letter "l"

Third letter "ь"

The last beech letter "a"

The answer to the question "American ferret or the fur of this ferret", 5 letters:
ilka

Alternative questions in crosswords for the word ilka

Sister marten

Angler marten, pecan

Weasel Predator

American marten

Another name for the angler marten

Definition of the word ilka in dictionaries

Wikipedia Definition of a word in the Wikipedia dictionary
Ilka is a station of the East Siberian Railway on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Located in the village of Ilka, Zaigraevsky district of Buryatia, 5722 km of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia Definition of the word in the dictionary Great Soviet Encyclopedia
pecan, fishing marten (Martes pennanti), a mammal of the marten family of the order of carnivores. The largest representative of the marten genus; body length 50-65 cm, tail ≈ 35-40 cm. Coloring is dark. I. is widespread in North America.

New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova. Meaning of the word in the dictionary New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T.F. Efremova.
f. A carnivorous animal of the weasel family with valuable dark brown fur. Fur, the skin of such an animal. colloquial Products from fur, skins of such an animal.

Examples of the use of the word ilka in literature.

And with the money offered by the gold-toothed seducer, you could buy a lot more, and even a bicycle, so that on vacation Ilek go swimming.

I remember that one of these days went to the river Ilek, then still full-flowing, not polluted by discharges of factories.

The river of his childhood died - Ilek, with numerous beautiful beaches, tulip fields disappeared behind its high steep slopes, dragonflies, butterflies, grasshoppers hatched completely in the meadows, dried up and turned into swamps of a lake with crucians and lilies, with duck hunting in the fall.

The close smell of water hit the slightly open window and reminded Ilek- the river of his childhood.

During my childhood Ilek was not only a breadwinner and drinker, but also the beauty of the region, tens of generations grew up on its shores, thousands and thousands of him dream in dreams.

The American, or as it is otherwise called the black-footed ferret, refers to the predatory representatives of the weasel family. One of the features that distinguishes it from other ferret cousins ​​is its short body length and low weight. That is, with a weight of one kilogram, or even less, this individual rarely exceeds 45 cm in length.

Appearance description

The coat is usually yellow-brown and darker on the back, and the tip of the tail and feet are black. An interesting fact is that by 1937 of the last century, this subspecies of ferrets was almost completely destroyed in Canada. But, starting in 1980, its numbers began to be gradually restored by artificial breeding. After that, bred in specially created conditions, the individuals were gradually returned to their former habitat. Despite the fact that today the number of troches has increased significantly, it still, since 1967, continues to be listed in the Red Book of North America as an endangered species.

Habitat

The birthplace of the American ferret is North America, where they inhabit the great plains. The ferret is awake and hunts exclusively in the dark. But, the lack of light does not in any way prevent him from obtaining food for himself, because the organs of hearing and smell are well developed in ferrets. And the miniature size helps to easily penetrate even the narrowest holes to catch small rodents. But ferrets sleep "dead" sleep in order to recover from the excitement and stress that the animal usually experiences during the hunt. From what came the expression - to sleep "like a ferret." In addition, an interesting feature of American ferrets is that after entering the hole to their prey and capturing it, the former leave this hole behind them for permanent or temporary residence.

Females are less active than males. And in winter, their activity decreases at all, compared to the summer period. They begin to hunt less due to the difficulties of moving through the snow cover, and more often prefer to stay in burrows, feeding exclusively on their reserves.

Ferrets are solitary. They lead an isolated way of life, practically do not contact their relatives, with the exception, probably, only of the "mating" period.

What do they eat

Typically, on average, a ferret consumes 50 to 70 grams of meat per day. Moreover, most often the diet of American ferrets is made up of rodents, less often - small birds and insects. But their main delicacy is gophers, or as they are called in those parts - steppe dogs. To get enough, one ferret needs to eat about 250 ground squirrels a year. The very same typical colony of prairie dogs lives on an area equal to about 50 hectares of steppe terrain.

In the middle of the last century, mass poisoning and extermination of dogs began in the United States in connection with the development of land by local farmers. Which was the main reason for the active extinction of ferrets. After all, the latter were practically left without food.

Living and breeding conditions

At the beginning of spring, individuals of this species, as a rule, begin the breeding period. After that, after about 1.5 months, cubs are born, the number of which rarely exceeds 5 pieces. This feature is unique to American ferrets, unlike their forest and steppe cousins, whose litters can exceed 8 puppies.

In the wild, animals do not live long - up to about 4 years. What can not be said about their relatives raised in captivity - their life expectancy can reach as much as 9 years. Whereas they reach sexual maturity by the age of one year.

Appearance

The American ferret, like most of the weasel family, has an elongated body on thin short legs, an elongated muzzle. And a 15 cm fluffy tail. They have an intricate color: yellowish-brown at the ends, closer to the roots it becomes white, and the legs and tip of the tail are black. Also, black fur frames the eyes, resembling “glasses”, which serve as additional camouflage. Males are larger than females. Like skunks, ferrets are capable of releasing an unpleasant odor for protection, although not as harsh as skunks.

Protection and reproduction measures

Helping the black-footed ferret not disappear from the face of the earth US federal and state agencies along with private farmers. They carry out all possible actions for their breeding and introduction into the wild.

This set of measures began to be carried out in the 80s of the last century, with the appearance of the threat of the complete disappearance of American ferrets in nature. It was then that zoologists decided to increase their population by breeding in captivity and further accustoming them to life in natural conditions, and only after that - returning them back to the wild. This experiment bore fruit, and by 2007 the number of individuals exceeded 600 units, while only 18 units of animals of different sex were taken to breed them in the conditions of the scientific zoological center. It is known that in 2013, approximately 1200 individuals lived in the wild. But still, this species remains listed in the Red Book. Therefore, to this day, work is underway to further increase the number of ferrets, until they can independently exist and survive in the wild.

For the people themselves, in this case farmers, ferrets are beneficial by eating harmful prairie dogs, thereby helping to control their population. The latter are especially dangerous for livestock because they are carriers of various infections, one of which is bubonic plague. So is the harm - a large number of holes and tunnel systems belonging to ferrets and dogs often cause injuries to livestock, every now and then falling into them.

Order - Carnivores / Suborder - Pseudos / Family - Weasel / Subfamily - Weasel

Study history

The American ferret, or black-footed ferret (Latin Mustela nigripes) is a small North American predator, a close relative of the Russian steppe ferret and other representatives of the weasel family. By 1937, the black-footed ferret was completely exterminated in Canada, and since 1967 it has been included in the Red Book of North America as an endangered species. In the mid-1980s, the last known wild population of ferrets was caught and transported to the research base for artificial breeding. Now the release of the black-footed ferrets into their former habitat in the United States is called "an amazing return."

Spreading

The habitat of the American ferret is the eastern and southern regions of the Rocky Mountains, the territory of the Great Plains from Albert and Saskatchewan, to Texas and Arizona (USA).

Appearance

The black-footed ferret is approximately 45 cm long, with a fluffy 15 cm tail, weighs over 1 kg. Like most members of this family, Mustela nigripes have a squat, elongated body with very short legs. Their fur, white at the base, becomes darker at the ends of the hairline and gives an overall yellowish-brown color to the animal. The legs and end of the tail are black, and the black-footed ferret also has the “black face” mask characteristic of many ferrets. This color scheme helps ferrets to be invisible in their environment.

Lifestyle

The habitat of the American black-footed ferret is prairie (with low to medium grass cover). Rises through treeless spaces high into the mountains (up to 3000 m above sea level).

Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. Hearing, sight and smell are well developed. The species is highly dependent on prairie dogs. He spends almost all the time (up to 99%) in their burrows. In the area of ​​these colonies, he rests and sleeps, immediately obtains food for himself, avoids predators, bad weather and feeds offspring.

Males are more active than females. In winter, the activity of black-footed ferrets decreases, as does the area of ​​the surveyed territory. On cold and snowy days, it stays in a hole, feeding on its reserves.
It moves on the ground in jumps or at a slow gallop (up to 8-11 km / h). One night can walk up to 10 km. Males travel more distance (almost twice) than females.

In addition to the breeding season, it leads a secluded lifestyle. It uses scent tags to communicate with relatives. The borders of its site are marked with a secret from the anal glands. In favorable years, the population density is one ferret per 50 hectares of prairie dog colonies. The territory of adult ferrets is (in diameter) 1-2 km.

Reproduction

The male does not participate in raising offspring. Breeding season March-April. Puberty occurs in the first year of life. Reproductive age up to 3-4 years. Pregnancy lasts 41-45 days. Young males disperse from their native nest over considerable distances (by 10-15 km), while females remain close to the mother.

The female gives birth to 3-4 puppies (on average). As the cubs mature, the female leaves them alone in the nest during the day, while she hunts. Juveniles begin to hunt on their own in September-October.

Nutrition

Black-footed ferrets can be found in prairie dog colonies, which make up the bulk of their diet (up to 90%). If possible, it eats gophers, American rabbits and birds. Over a year, one individual eats more than 100 prairie dogs, and more than 250 dogs are needed for one ferret family.

Number

US federal and state agencies are working with private landowners to conserve the black-footed ferret in the wild by releasing captive-bred zoos and zoological research centers into their natural habitat. Places of release were the States of Montana, South Dakota, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Chiufua Mexico.

In 1981, a small settlement of 130 animals was discovered near Meeteetse, Wyoming. Immediately after the opening of this ferret settlement, more than half of the ferrets died due to illness. In order to save the fate of the black-footed ferrets, it was decided to capture 18 individuals of different sexes and place them on the territory of the scientific-zoological center.

According to information on the state of affairs with the black-footed ferret in 2007, its number exceeds 600 in the United States. Although it is still considered an endangered species according to the old 1996 estimate, since at that time ferrets lived only in captivity with a group of specialists.

The ferret recovery plan in its native environment considers its ultimate goal to be the establishment of 10 or more separate self-surviving wild populations. Biologists hope to have 1,500 black-footed ferrets free by 2010, with at least 30 breeding adults in each settlement.