The Black Footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes ) was thought to be extict for
many years then one night a family dog on a farm in wyoming brought  a
ferret corpse home .  Though the numbers are low the animal is recluse with
great hearing and eyesight and can vanish down a praire dog burrow in a
flash. this might have been part of the reason the animal was thought to be
extinct. Currently the black footed ferrets number about 2,000 due mostly to
an agressive breeding program but due to a lack of natural prey (praire
dogs) and to a limited gene pool the animals future is dime. this is also a
program that is supported in part by NC. hang in there baby..ferreter
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Monfils <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 1998 5:04 PM
Subject: CRITERION FOR EXTINCTION?
 
 
>It was recently stated that certain species had been removed from the
>endangered species list because they are now extinct.  Who decides
>that a species is "now extinct", and how?  Is there some specific
>criterion, like no specimens collected in the past X number of years?
>Paul M.
>