The vaquita is a shy member of the porpoise family. Vaquitas are the most endangered of the world’s marine mammals. Less than 30 vaquitas remain in the wild, and entanglement in gillnets is driving the species toward extinction.
Vaquitas are a truly unique species adapted to a curious marine habitat. All porpoises live in highly productive waters, which are typically found in northern areas. Vaquitas ( Phocoena sinus ) have made their home in the northern Gulf of California thousands of miles from their nearest relative in Peru.
Another frequent query is “What are the characteristics of a vaquita?”.
One way to think about this is another distinctive feature of Vaquita is its ability to tolerate large annual fluctuations in temperature, which is also uncommon in porpoises. The temperature of water in the Gulf of Mexico, where these animals are found, varies from 14 degrees C in winter to 36 degrees C in summer.
Vaquita now number as few as ten animals. The vaquita is about 5 feet long and is one of the smallest members of the dolphin, whale, and porpoise family. Females are longer than males, but males have larger fins.
What does a vaquita eat?
Vaquitas feed on small fish, crustaceans (such as shrimp), and cephalopods (such as squid and octopuses). The vaquita has the smallest geographical range of any marine mammal. It only lives in the northern part of the Gulf of California in Mexico.
Another frequent query is “What does the vaquita fish eat?”.
I discovered vaquitas feed on a variety of benthic fishes, squids, and crustaceans. The vaquita lives only in the shallow waters of the upper Gulf of California, Mexico, where the Colorado River empties into the Gulf. Vaquita rarely venture beyond this small area; they have the most restricted range of any cetacean.
Another thing we wanted the answer to was, how big can a vaquita fish get?
Females can be up to 5 feet long and males up to 4.6 feet and they can weigh up to 120 pounds. The oldest known vaquita was a female, estimated at 21 years old. Vaquitas have the most restricted range of any marine cetacean. They only live in the northern end of the Gulf of California.
Why is the vaquita so difficult to observe?
They are difficult to observe because of their small size, inconspicuous and slow surface rolls, small group size, and avoidance of motorized vessels. Vaquitas feed on small fish, crustaceans (such as shrimp), and cephalopods (such as squid and octopuses). The vaquita has the smallest geographical range of any marine mammal.