Vaquita Porpoise

The vaquita is a species of porpoise endemic to the northern end of the Gulf of California in Baja California, Mexico. Averaging 150 cm or 140 cm in length, it is the smallest of all living cetaceans. Scientists say there are likely only 10 vaquitas left on Earth. Their extinction is virtually assured without bold, immediate action. The last administration failed to protect many species on the brink of extinction. Help save them now. Vaquitas have small, strong bodies with a rounded head and no beak. They have black patches around their eyes and lips and small, spade-shaped teeth. Vaquitas also have triangle-shaped dorsal fins in the middle of their backs, which are taller and wider than in other porpoises. Vaquitas exist as both predator and prey in their natural habitat. Preyed upon by members of the shark family, Vaquitas serve as important food sources for top predators. Conversely, they feed on species below them on the food chain—like small fish, squid, and crustaceans-- and help keep those populations in check. The vaquita will be extinct if fishery bycatch is not eliminated immediately. Nearly one out of every five vaquita get entangled and drown in gillnets intended for other marine species like the totoaba, a critically endangered fish also found in the upper Gulf of California.

Conservation status: Critically Endangered (Population decreasing, 10 Individuals left in the world)

Scientific name: Phocoena sinus

Trophic level: Carnivorous

Length: 3.9 – 4.9 ft. (Adult)

Mass: 95 lbs (Adult)

Family: Phocoenidae

Kingdom: Animalia