For the very first time ever scientists have successfully cloned a U.S. endangered animal. The animal being a black-footed ferret. Black footed ferrets are a type of weasel that are long and have recognizable dark eye markings. The black footed ferret clone was given the name Elizabeth Ann.

         Scientists cloned Elizabeth Ann by duplicating the genes of a ferret that died over three decades ago. The ferret whose genes were used to create Elizabeth Ann was a ferret named Willa. Willas’ remains were frozen when Willa died in 1988. Black footed ferrets have been going extinct for a long time and at one point were even thought to be extinct till a dog named Shep in Wyoming brought home a dead one in 1981.

         Elizabeth Ann’s successful cloning is a big deal for not only scientists but everyone since this can lead to more animals being cloned. This photo is Elizabeth Ann.