Vaquita

The vaquita is the smallest cetacean on earth and is a cousin of the largest animal in the world, the blue whale. They feast on fish, prawns and crabs but are known to have particular preference for squid. Unlike dolphins that will follow boats, vaquitas are shy, private creatures and as such very little is … Read more

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 … Read more

In 1995, vaquita were listed as endangered under the ESA. In July 2017, a federal agreement permanently banned all gillnets within the vaquita’s range in the Gulf of California, except those used for fishing two species: curvina and sierra. The vaquita is the most endangered cetacean in the world. With as few as around 10 … Read more

It is possible, though, that there no more than 10 vaquitas left. (For comparison, in 1997, the population was estimated to be about 600 individuals strong.) During recent surveys, scientists spotted multiple vaquita, including mother-calf pairs, indicating that the species is still reproducing. Also, how many vaquita are left in the world? Together, we can … Read more

The vaquita is the smallest cetacean on earth and is a cousin of the largest animal in the world, the blue whale. They feast on fish, prawns and crabs but are known to have particular preference for squid. Unlike dolphins that will follow boats, vaquitas are shy, private creatures and as such very little is … Read more

Vaquitas can live for at least 21 years. Pregnancy lasts about 10 to 11 months, and females are thought to give birth every other year to a single calf that is about 2.5 feet long and 16 pounds. The next thing we wondered was: what is the life cycle of a vaquita? World map providing … Read more

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. Vaquitas have small, strong bodies with a rounded head and no beak. While we were reading we ran into the inquiry “What is a … Read more