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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.


Etymology

Origin of black-footed ferret

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

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 Dec. 21, 2023

As a keystone species, prairie dogs provide valuable services to their ecosystems, and they are an important source of food for endangered species, such as the black-footed ferret.

From Slate May 25, 2022

Fusing a ferret fibroblast with an egg cell made an embryo, and a clone - Elizabeth Ann the black-footed ferret - was born in December of 2020.

From BBC May 19, 2022

For example, black-footed ferret clones are created using eggs from domestic ferrets, meaning they carry that species’ mitochondrial DNA, which is left in the egg after its nucleus is extracted.

From Science Magazine Jan. 13, 2022

Presentations were given on the Mexican wolf, the black rhino, the red wolf, the black-footed ferret, the snub-nosed monkey, and others.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

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