Vaquita, Vaquita on the Edge of Extinction - Animal of the Week (Week #7)

Hi, and welcome back! The world's most rare marine animal, according to the World Wildlife Fund, is critically endangered. After losing so much of its population due to illegal fishing near Mexico's Gulf of California, its numbers are dropping fast.

In fact, it's estimated they will become extinct in just five years, with numbers of no more than thirty living in the wild.

Protection of the rarest ocean animal in the world is crucial. And to tell you about them, I thought I'd do an Animal of the Week post on them! Enjoy!

Here are your five facts on these amazing animals:

1) Girls Rule!- Females are larger than males in the vaquita world. That being said, a vaquita is actually quite small, the smallest of the porpoise in its order. Its maximum height and weight are around 5 feet (about 1.5 meters) and 120 pounds (about 54.5 kilograms). Source

2) Homesick- These porpoises only live in one place in the entire world- The Northern Gulf of California (near Baja California and Mexico). It's one of the reasons  why they are in so much danger. Source

You See the Blue Area? That is Where They Live (Approximately).

3) Peek-A-Boo!- It's hard to play peek-a-boo with these creatures- one blink and they're gone. Wherever you look to find them: near the surface, around humans, lurking near boats, jumping out of the water, they won't be there. Rather, peek-a-boo will end up turning into a never ending game of hide-and-seek. Source

Like This Image? It's by Lauren Packard from this source.

4) Always dropping- The populations of the vaquita have been hunted for years, and scientists have estimated that there were only 600 vaquitas in the wild in 1997. That means numbers have dropped about 590 vaquitas over the 22 years, and just between 2011 and 2016 a 40% drop in population. Source 1 Source 2

Like This Image? It's By IrishErlina from this source.

5) 2017 Play Pen Project- In 2017 since numbers were decreasing dramatically, scientists tried to put vaquitas inside a big playpen to help them live and reproduce. So they set one up near where the first vaquita skulls were found. 

Don't worry, it wasn't this small :)

The two captured were females- one had an increase of heart and respiration rate, which the scientists realized had to quickly be released. The other was happy at first but then started bumping into the net. When she was released, she kept bumping into the net. When a few of the team jumped in to see what was wrong, she wasn't breathing. Three hours later, she was dead due to cardiac arrest. 

Scientists are still trying very hard to help these creatures, banning gillnets, etc. but as Melissa Gaskills states in this article, "Efforts continue to enforce the gillnet ban and remove gillnets in the reserve, but they may be too little, too late."  Source

If you happen to be near the vaquita habitat, help these creatures! Spreading awareness, putting up posters, and visit porpoise.org's article on how to help save vaquitas can really give us more time to find ways to help them before we have to say goodbye.

And if you liked these facts, consider clicking follow to learn how you can support me in writing more of these articles.

Keep exploring, and see you next Monday!

-TheBookishElephant

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Hi there! I'm TheBookishElephant- a writer, reader, and a HUGE fan of all things animal! This blog is an inspiration of the animals I have seen growing up, and animals I hope to see as I continue on in my life! Animal Awareness is one of the things that can get out the word and help create change. Want to support my mission? Go ahead and click the follow button! Followers really inspire me to push the blog more and hopefully get word out the whole world! Well, what are you waiting for? There's fun awaiting!

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