You might wonder what this all has to do with black-footed ferrets. Prairie dogs make up 90% of a black-footed ferret's diet, with a single adult ferret eating 100 prairie dogs or more each year.

The average ferret family will need about 250 prairie dogs a year, according to the NPS. A single ferret can eat about 100 prairie dogs a year.

In the wild, ferrets can eat up to 100 prairie dogs in a year, and are also important prey for raptors, burrowing owls, kit foxes, badgers and coyotes. Wildlife biologists have released ferrets in six ...