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Vaquita
Sign in to saveAlso known as Phocoena sinus, Desert porpoise, Vaquita porpoise, Gulf of California porpoise, Gulf porpoise
The vaquita ( ; Phocoena sinus) is a species of porpoise endemic to the northern end of the Gulf of California in Baja California, Mexico. Reaching a maximum body length of (females) or (males), it is the smallest of all living cetaceans. The species is currently on the brink of extinction, and is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List; the steep decline in abundance is primarily due to bycatch in gillnets from the illegal totoaba fishery.
OverviewAI-generated
The vaquita, scientifically named *Phocoena sinus*, is a species of marine mammal belonging to the family Phocoenidae within the order Cetartiodactyla. It is also referred to as the Gulf of California harbor porpoise, cochito, or Marsouin Du Golfe De Californie. The taxon was described by Norris & McFarland in 1958 and is classified under the phylum Chordata and class Mammalia.
Endemic to the Gulf of California, the vaquita exists during the Holocene time period. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, a status confirmed in 2022. The species is protected under Appendix I of CITES and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Primary hazards to the vaquita include bycatch in gill nets and poaching.
Synthesized by Vinony from 26 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, WoRMS, IUCN Red List, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Species
Critically EndangeredGulf of California harbor porpoise
Species
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderCetartiodactyla
- FamilyPhocoenidae
小頭鼠海豚（Phocoena sinus），又名港口豚、太平洋鼠海豚、加灣鼠海豚、加灣鼠豚或海灣鼠海豚及加利福尼亞灣鼠海豚，屬於稀有的鼠海豚屬。牠們是加利福尼亞灣北部的特有種。小头鼠海豚是世界上最濒危的鲸豚类动物，自1996年便被列为极度濒危物种。1997年年时小头鼠海豚估计数量为约600只，随后逐年下降，2014年时数量便低于100只，2015年为约60只，2016年11月为30只，2018年3月则仅有12只。目前的结论是，除非采取更激进的保育手段，否则小头鼠海豚可能会在2018年中期灭绝。
via IUCN
~19 min read
Encyclopedic overview
18 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Description
- Distribution and habitat
- Behaviour and ecology
- Diet
- Social behavior
- Reproduction
- Threats
- Fisheries bycatch
- Conservation
- Population status
- Conservation status
- Conservation efforts
- See also
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
The vaquita ( ; Phocoena sinus) is a species of porpoise endemic to the northern end of the Gulf of California in Baja California, Mexico. Reaching a maximum body length of (females) or (males), it is the smallest of all living cetaceans. The species is currently on the brink of extinction, and is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List; the steep decline in abundance is primarily due to bycatch in gillnets from the illegal totoaba fishery.
== Taxonomy == The vaquita was defined as a species by two zoologists, Kenneth S. Norris and William N. McFarland, in 1958 after studying the morphology of skull specimens found on the beach. It was not until nearly thirty years later, in 1985, that fresh specimens allowed scientists to describe their external appearance fully.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Vaquita” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.