Vaquita Research Paper

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The scientific name for the Vaquita is Phocoena sinus. It is classified under the Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Cetacea, Family: Phocoenidae, Genus: Phocoena, and Species: Sinus. It is found in the Gulf of California, otherwise known as the Sea of Cortez, which goes from Northwestern Mexico to Baja California. It lives in shallow, murky lagoons. It is a critically endangered animal. It is a very small animal. It is one of the smallest porpoises, in the world. They are between 4 feet and 5 feet long (see figure 1). The females are longer than the males. (vaquita.tv) They weigh from 65 pounds to 120 pounds. (defender.org) They are very small mammals. Their diet consists of croakers, grunts, crustaceans, squid, and octopus.
The mating season, of the Vaquita, is from April to May. The females can stay pregnant for 10 to 11 months per baby. It can have 1 calf per …show more content…
(vaquita.tv) The Vaquita is closely related to the Southern Hemisphere species of porpoises. One of it’s closest cousin is the Burmeister’s porpoise. (vaquita.tv) There is very little records of it in the wild, because it is a shy animal. The Vaquita is relatively in murky, shallow waters in the Gulf of California. (vaquita.tv) There is a window of about two years to save it, or it will be too late. (vaquita.tv) It is found that 39 Vaquitas die each year from nets. It is also threatened by the dwindling flow of freshwater into the Gulf. (vaquita.tv) Very little is known about the lifecycle of the vaquita, according to biologicaldiversity.org. It is the most limited cetean in the world. They are believed to be non-selective feeders. (biologicaldiversity.org) It is in immediate danger because of nets set down to catch other fish. It took a nosedive in modernization. In recent decades there was a record of less than one thousand left; but now there is a record of less than one hundred left. (biologicaldiversity.org)
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