black-footed ferret

American  

[blak-foot-id] / ˈblækˌfʊt ɪd /

noun

1. a weasellike polecat, Mustela nigripes, of prairie regions of the U.S., having a yellowish-brown body with the tip of the tail and legs black: an endangered species.

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Etymology

Origin of black-footed ferret

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

They have undergone or are currently involved in successful reintroductions to the wild: Karner blue butterfly, red wolf, black-footed ferret, whooping crane, golden-lion tamarin.

From Literature

Above, a black-footed ferret at an FWS program in Colorado.

From NewsForKids.net

For every success story like that of the bald eagle or the black-footed ferret, the Endangered Species Act also has countless failures.

From Salon

Scientists have created a healthy clone of a black-footed ferret by using DNA from a ferret that died over 30 years ago.

From NewsForKids.net

US biotechnology company Revive and Restore recently produced a clone using skin cells from an endangered black-footed ferret that had been dead for decades.

From BBC