'Rarest Mammal In North America' Surprises Homeowner In Their Garage

A Colorado homeowner was surprised to find an 'extremely rare' creature in their garage this week, KXRM reported Wednesday (November 10).

A black-footed ferret appeared in the garage in a Pueblo West home on Monday (November 8), according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The homeowners were able to coax the endangered creature into a box by the time CPW officers responded, officials added.

Experts call black-footed ferrets the rarest mammal in North America.

Wildlife officials confirmed they've been releasing these creatures on a prairie dog colony near Walker Ranch as part of a major conservation effort. After the officers took the ferret to a couple of organizations, they found out the little guy was one of nine ferrets released two weeks ago.

“This is extremely rare,” CPW conservation biologist Ed Schmal said. “Black-footed ferrets are nocturnal and extremely shy. For some reason, this one left the colony and was seeking shelter. We’re just glad it appeared healthy, not starving or sick, and we were able to capture it and return it to the colony.”

Schmal added that he doesn't know why the ferret left the colony. Even though they placed the black-footed ferrets in prairie dog burrows, sometimes they don't stay.

"Sometimes they scramble around the colony to find the right home. This one might have gotten pushed out by other ferrets and it went looking for a new home. We really don’t know.”