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 known about them. Although they tend to spend their time in the More.
Vaquitas inhabit murky warm waters within 16 miles of the shoreline since there is high food availability and a strong tidal mix. Since they are able to survive in shallow waters, their triangle-shaped dorsal fin sticks out above water and they are commonly mistaken for dolphins ( Center for Biological Diversity, n. d).
The vaquita is also called “vaquita marina” and the Gulf of California harbor porpoise. Vaquita is Spanish for “little cow” and “vaquita marina” is Spanish for “little sea cow.” The vaquita, like other porpoises, differs from dolphins in several ways. Porpoises lack a beak while dolphins tend to have more prominent beaks.
What kind of animal is a vaquita?
The vaquita (Spanish: [baˈkita]; Phocoena sinus) is a rare species of porpoise endemic to the northern part of the Gulf of California.
This begs the question “How is the vaquita related to other porpoises?”
One article claimed that the vaquita is most closely related to Burmeister’s porpoise ( Phocoena spinipinnis) and less so to the spectacled porpoise ( Phocoena dioptrica ), two species limited to the Southern Hemisphere. Their ancestors are thought to have moved north across the equator more than 2.5 million years ago during a period of cooling in the Pleistocene.
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. They have black patches around their eyes and lips and small, spade-shaped teeth.
Do vaquitas live in the Gulf of California?
Dorsal fin height is greater in males than in females. Vaquita habitat is restricted to a small portion of the upper Gulf of California (also called the Sea of Cortez ), making this the smallest range of any marine mammal species. They live in shallow, turbid waters of less than 150 m (490 ft) depth.
How many vaquita are there?
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.