Vaquita
Phocoena sinus
The vaquita, also known as the Gulf of California harbor porpoise, is rarely seen in the wild. It is the rarest and smallest of the cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises). The vaquita has a gray body with a pale gray/white belly and a dark patch around its eye. The vaquita is the second rarest cetacean next to the now-thought-to-be-extinct baiji dolphin of China’s Yangtze River.
Length 5 feet (females); 4.6 feet (males)
Weight Up to 120 lbs
Lifespan The oldest known vaquita was a female, estimated at 21 years
old.
Diet
Staples Ocean fish like Gulf croaker and bronze-striped
grunts
Also known to eat squid
Population
Approximately 400 to 600 vaquita may remain in the wild.
Range
Vaquitas have the most restricted range of any marine cetacean. They appear to live only in the northern end of the Gulf of California. The Mexican government created the Upper Gulf of California Biosphere Reserve in 1993 in part to protect vaquita habitat.
Behavior
Vaquitas use sonar to communicate and navigate Gulf waters. When seen, they are either alone or in small groups of two or three. The vaquita is also the only porpoise species found in such warm waters.
Reproduction
Mating Season April to May
Gestation 10-11
months
Number of offspring 1 calf
A female will give birth every 2
years or so.
Calves are between 28-31 inches long at birth, weighing about 17
lbs.
Threats
The greatest threat to the remaining vaquita is incidental death caused by fishing gear. Vaquita are known to die in gillnets set for sharks, rays, mackerels and chano, as well as in illegal and occasionally permitted gillnet sets for an endangered fish called totoaba. They are also killed by commercial shrimp trawlers. It is believed that about 30 vaquitas are lost to these threats each year.
Legal Status/Protection
*Endangered Species Act (Cochito, Phocoena sinus) **CITES Appendix I
*The Endangered Species Act requires the US federal government to identify species threatened with extinction, identify habitat they need to survive, and help protect both. In doing so, the Act works to ensure the basic health of our natural ecosystems and protect the legacy of conservation we leave to our children and grandchildren.
**Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international treaty with 172 member countries. Appendix I listed species cannot be traded commercially. Appendix II listed species can be traded commercially only if it does not harm their survival.
How You Can Help
- Help vaquitas and dolphins by adopting a dolphin today at our Wildlife Adoption Center.
- Take Action for Wildlife at our Wildlife Action Center.
