Once widespread in the grasslands and western basins of North America, by 1987 Black-footed Ferrets were thought to be extinct in the wild. Captive animals were bred in an effort to save the species, and in 1991, some were reintroduced in Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Learn more about the Mustela nigripes, more commonly known as a Black-footed Ferret, in this easy-to-read species overview by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.