This little-known species lives in the tunnels of the black-tailed prairie dog and feeds on them as well as other small mammals and ground-nesting birds.
It tends to hunt at night, killing its prey with a single bite at the base of the skull.
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Its own predators are primarily owls and other predatory birds.
Since its favorite prey, the black-tailed prairie dog, has been exterminated in many areas, the once-common black-footed ferret has become extremely rare.
It was considered extinct in the wild by 1987 and has since been reintroduced in several areas.
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