Elizabeth Ann (born December 10, 2020) is a

black-footed ferret The black-footed ferret (''Mustela nigripes''), also known as the American polecatHeptner, V. G. (Vladimir Georgievich); Nasimovich, A. A; Bannikov, Andrei Grigorovich; Hoffmann, Robert S. (2001)''Mammals of the Soviet Union''Volume: v. 2, pt. 1 ...

, the first U.S. endangered species to be

cloned Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical or virtually identical DNA, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. In the field of biotechnology, c ...

. The animal was cloned using the frozen cells from Willa, a black-footed female ferret who died in the 1980s and had no living descendants. Black-footed ferrets are the only ferret species native to the United States. The black-footed ferret is one of the most endangered and rarest land mammals in North America; a small pack of them was found in Wyoming in 1981. The limited genetic diversity found among the pack put the species at risk. Scientists sent genetic material from Willa to San Diego Zoo’s Frozen Zoo in 1988. Willa's egg was implanted in a surrogate domestic ferret in November 2020, to avoid putting an endangered ferret at risk. Elizabeth Ann was delivered via c-section on December 10. The efforts were led by

Revive & Restore Revive & Restore is a nonprofit wildlife conservation organization bringing biotechnology to conservation. Biotechnology can be used to increase genetic diversity, build disease resistance, and facilitate adaptation. Headquartered in Sausalito, C ...

, a biodiversity non-profit. Elizabeth Ann will live in Colorado and be studied for scientific purposes; she will not be released into the wild. As of February 2022, Elizabeth Ann has reached puberty and scientists were looking for a viable mate. A panel discussion, organized by the Draper Natural History Museum in October 2022, informed the public that Elizabeth Ann had a

hysterectomy Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus. It may also involve removal of the cervix, ovaries (oophorectomy), Fallopian tubes (salpingectomy), and other surrounding structures. Usually performed by a gynecologist, a hysterectomy may b ...

for unspecified reasons, but also that other clones were on their way. In April 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the birth of two new black-footed ferret clones, Noreen and Antonia, who were cloned from the same genetic material as Elizabeth Ann. Noreen was born at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado, while Antonia resides at the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia. Both were healthy and reaching expected developmental and behavioral milestones. The Service and its research partners plan to breed Noreen and Antonia once they reach reproductive maturity later in 2024. Elizabeth Ann remained healthy but was unable to breed due to a condition called hydrometra, which is not believed to be linked to cloning.

References

2020 animal births Cloned animals Individual musteloids {{Carnivora-stub