Vaquita Facts
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The vaquita (Phocoena sinus), also known as the Gulf of California harbor porpoise, is is the smallest and rarest of the cetaceans - which include whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Vaquitas are very rarely seen in the wild.
Fast Facts
Length: Females are longer than males. Females top out at around 5 feet males around 4.6 feet.
Weight: Up to 120 lbs.
Lifespan: The oldest known vaquita was a female, estimated at 21 years old.
The vaquita has a gray body with a pale gray/white belly and a dark patch around its eye.
Diet
Vaquitas eat ocean fish such as Gulf croaker and bronze-striped grunts. They are also known to eat squid.
Did You Know?
The word vaquita is Spanish for "little cow."
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. See a vaquita range map >>
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.
Did You Know?
The vaquita is rarely seen in water much deeper than 100 feet - in fact, it can survive in water so shallow that its back protrudes above the surface!
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.
Climate Change and Other 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.
Because there are so few vaquita left and they are confined to such a small area, they may also be vulnerable to climate changes that change food availability or habitat conditions in the Gulf of California.
Legal Status/Protection
- Endangered Species Act (ESA): Vaquitas are listed as endangered under the ESA.
- IUCN Red List: Critically endangered.
- CITES: Vaquitas are listed in Appendix I.
- Learn more about legal status and protection of vaquitas >>
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.
