The vaquita are the rarest mammals that live in the sea, and they can only be found in one place: Mexico’s Gulf of California. These remarkable creatures are literally on the brink of extinction, and Mexico’s government is not holding up their end of the agreement to protect them. This is an emergency, and it […]
Tag: vaquita
‘Encouraging News’: Endangered Vaquitas Hanging On in Gulf of California, Expedition Finds
The shy, elusive vaquita is the smallest and most endangered porpoise in the world, with fewer than 20 remaining in their small range in the Gulf of California’s Sea of Cortez. Vaquitas have been hanging on against all odds, despite the consistent threat of entanglement in gillnets used to illegally catch totoaba, a large fish […]
Mexico dismantles illegal fishing cartels killing off rare vaquita porpoise
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO — Some of the country’s most ambitious and successful wildlife traffickers are now in jail, officials announced. Mexico’s navy confirmed in a press conference that members of cartels dedicated to the trafficking of totoaba have been arrested and put in prison, effectively dismantling some of the main organized crime groups contributing to […]
Experts fear end of vaquitas after green light for export of captive-bred totoaba fish
International wildlife trade regulator CITES recently decided to allow an aquaculture company in Mexico to export captive-raised totoabas, a large fish categorized as being in danger of extinction under Mexican law. The fishing and international trade of the totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) have been prohibited for more than 40 years, yet illegal fishing for it persists […]
Vaquita porpoise could survive … but only if illegal fishing stops immediately
Scientists studying the DNA of the world’s smallest cetacean and rarest marine mammal, the vaquita porpoise, have made a surprising and bittersweet discovery. With a tiny population of fewer than 10 individuals left, the mammal was assumed by conservationists to be at a similar risk of harmful mutations and inbreeding as other species with small […]
Petition: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises Face Unprecedented Risk of Extinction, Hundreds of Scientists Warn
More than 350 scientists and conservationists from 40 countries are calling for global action to protect whales, dolphins, and porpoises from extinction. In a letter, the global coalition of scientists and conservationists warn that more than half of all living cetacean species now have a concerning conservation status: 13 species are “Critically Endangered” or “Endangered,” […]
These 16 Amazing Animals are Going Extinct and Here’s How You Can Help!
These 16 animals are on the verge of going extinct and are listed on the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for Nature’s list of “Critically Endangered” species. Read on to learn more about these creatures and to learn how you can help. First up, the Amur Leopard, listed by the WWF lives in the Russian Far […]
Petition: Urge U.S. Government to Enforce the Marine Mammal Protection Act to Protect the Last Few Vaquitas on Earth!
Vaquitas are a rare marine mammal, relatives of the dolphin. These porpoises are the smallest marine mammal. They’re often found on the northern part of the Gulf of California — when and if they’re found at all. Unfortunately, they may soon not be found at all anymore. There are less than 20 vaquitas left on […]