Black-footed ferrets Sibert and Red Cloud at 6 weeks old

Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (Sibert and Red Cloud); Shutterstock.com (background); Illustrations by Brown Bird Design

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Two black-footed ferret babies are providing hope for one of the most endangered species in the U.S.

January 20, 2025
By Talia Cowen

As You Read, Think About: Is cloning a good way to try to save an endangered species?

Sibert and Red Cloud look like most black-footed ferrets. They have dark rings around their eyes, beige fur, and, you guessed it, black feet. But the siblings born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia last June are unlike any other ferrets. They’re the first black-footed ferrets born to a clone. 

Their mother, Antonia, is a copy of a black-footed ferret that died in 1988. Like identical twins, cloned animals share the same DNA. This material in cells determines traits that are passed down from parents. DNA determines traits like the color of your eyes and your height.

Antonia is actually one of three black-footed ferret clones born in recent years. An organization called Revive & Restore has worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other groups on the ferret cloning project. 

Scientist Ben Novak works for Revive & Restore. He says the birth of Antonia’s babies brings new hope for the endangered species.

“We’ve done something earth-shattering for conservation,” Novak says.

Sibert and Red Cloud look like most black-footed ferrets. They have dark rings around their eyes, beige fur, and black feet. But the siblings are unlike any other ferrets. They’re the first black-footed ferrets born to a clone. They were born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia last June.

Their mother, Antonia, is a copy of a black-footed ferret that died in 1988. Like identical twins, cloned animals share the same DNA. This material is found in cells. DNA determines traits that are passed down from parents. These traits include the color of your eyes and your height.

Antonia is one of three black-footed ferret clones born recently. An organization called Revive & Restore has worked on the cloning project. To do so, they partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other groups.  

Scientist Ben Novak works for Revive & Restore. He says the birth of Antonia’s babies brings new hope for the endangered species.

“We’ve done something earth-shattering for conservation,” Novak says.

Problems on the Prairie

Long ago, millions of black-footed ferrets could be found scurrying across the grasslands of the Great Plains. They spent most of their time hunting for their favorite food, rodents called prairie dogs. 

In the 1800s, many farmers began moving to the Great Plains. They considered prairie dogs to be pests. The animals dug underground homes called burrows in fields for growing crops. Many farmers poisoned prairie dogs, leaving ferrets without enough food. Ferrets faced other threats too, such as habitat loss and disease.

By 1979, black-footed ferrets were thought to be extinct. Then in 1981, conservationists discovered more than 100 of these ferrets in Wyoming. Scientists used some of them to start a breeding program to help the species recover.

Long ago, millions of black-footed ferrets could be found on the grassy areas of the Great Plains. They spent most of their time hunting for their favorite food, rodents called prairie dogs. 

In the 1800s, many farmers began moving to the Great Plains. They considered prairie dogs to be pests. The animals dug underground homes called burrows in fields for growing crops. Many farmers poisoned prairie dogs. This left ferrets without enough food. Ferrets faced other threats too, such as habitat loss and disease.

By 1979, black-footed ferrets seemed to be extinct. Then, in 1981, conservationists discovered more than 100 of them in Wyoming. Scientists used some of them to start a breeding program. They wanted to help the species recover.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Black-footed ferrets Sibert and Red Cloud at 6 weeks old 

Creating Clones

Today there are more than 600 black-footed ferrets in the U.S. About 300 of them live in the wild. But the species is still at risk. Nearly all black-footed ferrets alive today come from just seven ferrets that conservationists bred in the 1980s. They’re all either first cousins or closer. Babies of parents that are closely related are likely to have health problems. 

To keep the species healthy, scientists wanted to introduce new DNA into the ferret population. In 1988, conservationists had collected and frozen cells from a ferret that wasn’t closely related to any ferrets alive at the time. In 2020, scientists used that ferret’s DNA to create the first black-footed ferret clone, named Elizabeth Ann (see “How to Clone a Ferret”). Antonia and another clone, named Noreen, were born less than three years later.

Novak explains that producing the clones was a big step. But the key to helping the species thrive, he says, is for the ferret clones to have babies.

Today there are more than 600 black-footed ferrets in the U.S. About 300 of them live in the wild. But the species is still at risk. Nearly all black-footed ferrets alive today come from just seven ferrets. These seven animals were bred by conservationists in the 1980s. That makes most black-footed ferrets today first cousins or closer. Babies of parents that are closely related tend to have health problems. 

To keep the species healthy, scientists wanted to introduce new DNA into the ferret population. Back in 1988, conservationists had collected and frozen cells from a ferret. That ferret wasn’t closely related to other ferrets alive at the time. In 2020, scientists used that ferret’s DNA to create the first black-footed ferret clone. They named this clone Elizabeth Ann (see “How to Clone a Ferret”). Antonia and Noreen, another clone, were born in 2023.

Novak explains that creating the clones was a big step. But the key to helping the species succeed, he says, is for the clones to have babies.

Revive & Restore

Scientist Ben Novak holds ferret clone Elizabeth Ann when she was just 3 weeks old.

Future Ferrets 

Sadly, Elizabeth Ann isn’t able to have offspring. But the birth of Antonia’s babies has given scientists new hope. They look forward to Noreen having her own babies one day. The babies born to clones could help breed future generations of black-footed ferrets.

For now, scientists are closely watching Sibert and Red Cloud. Novak says their future, and the future of the species, is bright.

“It’s a hugely rewarding moment,” he says. “It’s the first real proof that cloning can be used to help conservation.”

Sadly, Elizabeth Ann isn’t able to have babies. But the birth of Antonia’s babies has given scientists new hope. They look forward to Noreen having her own babies one day. The babies born to clones could help breed future generations of black-footed ferrets.

For now, scientists are watching Sibert and Red Cloud. Novak says the future of the species is bright.

“It’s a hugely rewarding moment,” he says. “It’s the first real proof that cloning can be used to help conservation.”

How to Clone a Ferret

Here’s how scientists cloned a ferret that lived more than 35 years ago.

Here’s how scientists cloned a ferret that lived more than 35 years ago.

1. In 1988, scientists took skin cells from a black-footed ferret named Willa after she died. Then they froze the cells. 

1. In 1988, scientists took skin cells from a black-footed ferret named Willa after she died. Then they froze the cells. 

2. Decades later, scientists removed egg cells from a living female ferret. 

2. Decades later, scientists removed egg cells from a living female ferret. 

3. Scientists used a tiny needle to remove DNA from these egg cells. They inserted DNA from Willa’s frozen cells into the empty egg cells.

3. Scientists used a tiny needle to remove DNA from these egg cells. They inserted DNA from Willa’s frozen cells into the empty egg cells.

4. In a lab, one of these egg cells grew into an embryo (an animal’s first stage of development). The embryo was put inside a different female ferret. 

4. In a lab, one of these egg cells grew into an embryo (an animal’s first stage of development). The embryo was put inside a different female ferret. 

5. After about two months, she gave birth to a baby ferret, or kit. The kit is a copy of Willa. Three clones have been born this way so far.

5. After about two months, she gave birth to a baby ferret, or kit. The kit is a copy of Willa. Three clones have been born this way so far.

1. Based on the article, what is DNA and what does it do?

2. Summarize the main ideas of the section “Problems on the Prairie.”

3. Why do some scientists believe cloning black-footed ferrets can help keep the species healthy?

1. Based on the article, what is DNA and what does it do?

2. Summarize the main ideas of the section “Problems on the Prairie.”

3. Why do some scientists believe cloning black-footed ferrets can help keep the species healthy?

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