Post by M. Hawbaker on Jul 21, 2021 21:59:31 GMT
For the first time, scientists have cloned an endangered U.S. species! Meet black-footed ferret Elizabeth Ann, whose “original version” has been dead for more than 30 years.
North America’s only ferret species, the black-footed ferret (also known as prairie dog hunter), had been long thought to be extinct when in 1981, seven specimens were found on a Wyoming ranch. After one of them, Willa died in 1988, scientists sent her tissues to a ‘frozen zoo’ run by San Diego Zoo Global that maintains cells from more than 1,100 species and subspecies worldwide. They were hoping that someday they can perform an experiment like they have just done now.
The cute little ferret arrived via C-section on December 10, and became the first-ever cloned endangered US species. While a domesticated ferret carried the cloned embryo, the new ferret, who is being raised at a Fish and Wildlife Service black-footed ferret breeding facility in Fort Collins, Colorado, has all the instincts and aggression of her wild ancestors.
This is a fresh success story for the black-footed ferret that also marks a groundbreaking step in the recovery of endangered species. “The birth of Elizabeth Ann could help address genetic barriers faced by many imperiled wildlife,” stated the US Fish And Wildlife Service on Twitter.
earthlymission.com/black-footed-ferret-died-in-1988-cloning-science-willa-elizabeth-ann/?fbclid=IwAR2dPVaPIV7KkkQtqggra9_XtEV1LW8WH_00g6moixZ_T48e_HqebzjHlnI
North America’s only ferret species, the black-footed ferret (also known as prairie dog hunter), had been long thought to be extinct when in 1981, seven specimens were found on a Wyoming ranch. After one of them, Willa died in 1988, scientists sent her tissues to a ‘frozen zoo’ run by San Diego Zoo Global that maintains cells from more than 1,100 species and subspecies worldwide. They were hoping that someday they can perform an experiment like they have just done now.
The cute little ferret arrived via C-section on December 10, and became the first-ever cloned endangered US species. While a domesticated ferret carried the cloned embryo, the new ferret, who is being raised at a Fish and Wildlife Service black-footed ferret breeding facility in Fort Collins, Colorado, has all the instincts and aggression of her wild ancestors.
This is a fresh success story for the black-footed ferret that also marks a groundbreaking step in the recovery of endangered species. “The birth of Elizabeth Ann could help address genetic barriers faced by many imperiled wildlife,” stated the US Fish And Wildlife Service on Twitter.
earthlymission.com/black-footed-ferret-died-in-1988-cloning-science-willa-elizabeth-ann/?fbclid=IwAR2dPVaPIV7KkkQtqggra9_XtEV1LW8WH_00g6moixZ_T48e_HqebzjHlnI
