Q:"Are the Black Footed Ferrets closely related to our ferrets? They seem to look a lot alike." A: The black footed ferret is the domesticated ferret's evil twin. Forget the fact that domesticated ferrets are domesticated, and throw those characteristics out the window for a while. So for this first part, assumed the domesticated ferret is just another species of polecat. With that in mind, there are four closely related polecats that inhabit the northern hemisphere; the domesticated ferret (_Mustela furo_), the European polecat (_Mustela putorius_), the steppe polecat (_Mustela eversmanni_) and the black footed ferret (Mustela nigripes_). All four of these species are very similar in size, shape and coloration, with European polecats being the largest and darkest of the group, and black footed ferrets being the smallest and lightest colored. The black footed ferret is interfertile with the steppe polecat, and the domesticated ferret is interfertile with the European polecat. Reliable reports indicate the European polecat and the domesticated ferret are interfertile with the steppe polecat. I know of no attempts to breed domesticated ferrets or European polecats with the black footed ferret, although it is likely it can occur dspite the European polecat and domesticated ferret having two more chromosomes than the black footed ferret and steppe polecat. Behaviorally, these four species are also quite similar. All are strict sexual territorialists, which means they allow opposite sex members into their territory, but exclude others of their own sex, with the trait somewhat less in the black footed ferret. All are primary carnivores and eat meat 98% or more of the time. All are adapted for hunting in tunnels, and all seem to rely on some extent on burrowing animals for their dinner (rabbits, squirrels, prairie dogs). The females are induced ovulators, they all have a single litter per year (the domesticated ferret can have two when in captivity, but only one when wild, such as with the New Zealand feral ferrets). All are olfactory hunters, all have close up vision only, and all tend to hunt underground. There are some marked differences, mostly with the black footed ferret. The most obvious being the black footed ferret is a hunting specialist, hunting prairie dogs rather than being the generalist predators characterized by the other three. The black footed ferret is also quite small compared to the other polecats, with males averaging the size of the larger female domesticated ferrets. The black footed ferret is not actually a ferret at all; it is a polecat, which essentially means it is a large weasel. Its name came from it's superfical resemblance to the domesticated ferret; they look more like a cimmamon or chocolate siamese point than a sable. I have closely inspected the study skins at the American and Smithsonian museums, and it would be difficult to tell a black footed ferret from a domesticated ferret at first glance. Black footed ferrets have a more triangular-shaped head, and their ears are have more of a point to them (they are still rounded, but the top edge seems to have a slight point to it). Interestingly enough, I have noted a similar trait in most polecats, and Tui, 1/4 European polecat, has a similar ear point. Other than that, all four of the polecats are remarkable similar. The main differences between the domesticated ferret and the rest are in behavior, brain functions and skeletal morphology. From an evolutionary standpoint, it is clear the four species are closely related, and are a minor deviation from the rest of the weasels (all weasels have _Mustela_ as the first part of their name). As a minor point, other than size and exact prey, the differences between polecats and weasels are rather small; they share most of the traits already discussed. In terms of the recent FML bbf-thread, almost anything you read about the black footed ferret can apply to some extent to the domesticated ferret, as well as the other way around (excluding domestication-related traits of course). In fact, because of the insights afforded for our domesticated carpet sharks from discussions of either polecats, black footed ferrets, or even weasels, I personally feel they are appropriate to FML discussion, especially if tied to the care or treatment of our little fellas. Bob C and 20 MO Waskawee Weasels [Posted in FML issue 2349]