The black-footed ferret is a small predator from the mustelid family. It lives in the prairies of North America and feeds almost entirely on prairie dogs.
The black-footed ferret differs from other ferrets with its black paws and strong dependence on prairie dogs. It is important for nature because it controls rodent populations and serves as an indicator of prairie health.
homogamy, reproduction always with fertilization, no alternation of generations
Worker
birth time
Submerges underwater to reach prey or food at depth.
Describes the act of excavating soil or substrate to locate or access food.
breeding
pursuit
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
g
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
days
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
eyes
adult
Maturity
Coconut
About health
milk
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
rodents in general — rats, squirrels, ground squirrels
Repro interval
results
Colors
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
diving
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
rains are very rare, almost a desert
Trophic type
Filters
running
Captures or processes food by biting or nipping with the mouth.
Upcoming birthdays
protection
Winter with snow
eggs, roe or offspring develop in a nest built on the ground or close to it
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
in a burrow
Height
nest on the ground
Desert and dry shrubs
rains almost always, very humid
young are born live on land, not hatched from eggs or roe
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
crevice
Age (embryo)
Feet color
Wanderers
Food items are collected from exposed outer surfaces of substrates.
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
dry, cold winter, lots of grass, few trees
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Lifespan average
nest located directly on the ground surface on land, only the mother provides parental care for the offspring
in a terrestrial nest
live birth
beasts
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
nest hidden in an underground burrow
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
from 0.5 to 0.8 kilograms, 0.5 – 1 meter
digging
Snowy winter and summer from cool to warm
Pets
Nearctic realm
biting
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
{name} jubilee
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
turns
Rascals
terrestrial grassland and steppe
drink mother's milk in childhood
other small rodents
Litter size
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Where are they found?
steppe
Locomotion through water employed while searching for or capturing prey.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
lots of rain, summer from cool to warm, snow in winter
Bro
normal sexual
Taxons
carnivore
if born as {name}
Actively chases and captures mobile prey in open space.
age
birth date
small mammals — mice, shrews, bats
swimming
rest
Fur color
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
nocturnal
The basics
coastal
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
surface
primary food sources
Facial mask color
teeth
burrow
after transformation until death
Potential Habitat
lots of grass, few trees, rains are rare
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Feeding occurs in water bodies such as rivers, lakes, or oceans.
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
Gestation
Body size
aquatic
small mammals
land
prairie dogs
{name} birthday
Nearctic realm
No results found
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
underground
On the map
all life stages
Female ♀
Cold and almost dry
Body color
nest located directly on the ground surface on land
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
birth year
lots of grass, few trees, rains occur
Shelter used specifically for reproduction or nesting.
Maturity
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
baby / chick
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
live mammals, mice, hares, deer and others
Very dry
Neither
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
caring mother
What do they eat?
dry and cold almost all year round
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
much snow in winter, cold
Hard dental structures used to bite, tear, or scrape food.
rodents
Duration
This is me
Foraging activity occurs primarily during nighttime hours.
Steppe
Always very wet
Gamers
Teeth count
How are they built?
Temperate steppe
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
nocturnal burrow hunter
Asexual
swap
active predation
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
Denotes a grassland or steppe habitat preference.
inhabit and develop on land, outside water bodies
celebrated their {n} birthday
open grassy spaces — steppes, savannas, prairies
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Cold steppe
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
Hermaphrodite ⚥
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
embryo
Length
kg
very hot and dry, rare rains, cacti live
Observations
◉{N} more on tap