A stocky creature about four and a half feet long, the vaquita is the smallest of the cetaceans , a family that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
When will the vaquita go extinct?
It’s a small porpoise with a big problem. The vaquita, which lives only in the Gulf of California, now numbers only about 60 individuals – a 92 per cent drop since a major survey in 1997. If Mexico doesn’t widen its attempt at conservation, the species may be gone as soon as 2022 .
Our answer is that If the Vaquita becomes extinct, the squid or the croakers might have a sudden boom in reproduction and start to grow out of control in numbers . The prey that squid or octopus eat may reduce a lot because of how many octopus or squid that is trying to eat it.
Vaquita porpoise about to go extinct, researchers warn. The vaquita porpoise, one of the world’s most endangered animals, could become extinct within a year if fishing nets continue being used illegally, a university in Scotland warned on Wednesday.
The vaquita will be extinct if fishery bycatch is not eliminated immediately . Nearly one out of every five vaquita get entangled and drown in gillnets intended for other marine species like the totoaba, a critically endangered fish also found in the upper Gulf of California.
What happened to the vaquita?
The vaquita, a petite porpoise native only to Mexico’s northern Gulf of California, is a casualty of the black market for totoaba, another endangered and protected fish killed and sold for its prized bladder .
What’s happening to the vaquita?
All this affects the vaquita because while the gill nets catch totoaba, they also trap the small porpoises, which get tangled in the nets . Andrea Crosta of the wildlife trafficking watchdog group Elephant Action League recently traveled to Mexico, where multiple sources confirmed that the number of living vaquita was dangerously low.
Are We on the brink of losing the vaquita porpoise?
This little porpoise wasn’t discovered until 1958 and a little over half a century later, we are on the brink of losing them forever . The population has dropped drastically in the last few years.
How many Vaquitas are left in the wild?
Fewer than 20 vaquita remain in the wild. You can help prevent their extinction . Artwork © 2017 Frédérique Lucas, commissioned by and exclusively licensed to the Porpoise. What is the Vaquita? The vaquita is a small porpoise found only in the northern Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) in Mexico.
How many Vaquitas are left in the world?
And its population has plunged in recent years, despite efforts to save it. Scientists estimated that there were nearly 600 vaquitas in 1997. By 2016, that dropped to 30. Now it could be as few as 15, or 12. “And the number of vaquitas have been going down and down and down every year.
Unauthorized use is prohibited. In the Gulf of California, fewer than 19 vaquitas are left. What can conservationists learn before the species dies out completely? This story appears in the October 2019 issue of National Geographic magazine. One of the world’s most endangered marine animals is a pint-size porpoise known as the vaquita.
Is the vaquita the only porpoise that can live in warm water?
This is quite unusual, as vaquitas are the only porpoise species to tolerate warm water . All other species prefer water cooler than 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Distinct for the dark rings around their eyes, they’re affectionately known as “pandas of the sea.” Why is the vaquita going extinct?