What has happened since? The vaquita is a small porpoise endemic to the Sea of Cortez in the Upper Gulf of California in Mexico. It is estimated that there are now fewer than 10 vaquitas left, with a total population decline of 98.6% since 2011.

Are vaquitas extinct 2021?

The vaquita is the most endangered cetacean in the world. With as few as around 10 left, the species will become extinct without a fully enforced gillnet ban throughout their entire habitat. WWF is urgently working to ensure they can live and thrive in their natural habitat.

How many vaquitas are there in 2021?

The Mexican government will no longer protect the habitat of the critically endangered vaquita in the Upper Gulf of California, but has opened the area up to fishing, according to a news report. It’s estimated that there are only about nine vaquitas left in the world.

Where are the remaining vaquitas?

This species split from its closest taxonomic relatives 4.8 million years ago and is now endemic to a small range (4,000 km2) in the turbid waters of the northern Gulf of California, Mexico. The vaquita is now on the brink of extinction with fewer than 19 remaining as of summer 2018.

What is endangering the vaquita?

Why are vaquitas so endangered? Unsustainable and illegal fishing practices are the main drivers pushing vaquita to extinction, particularly due to bycatch from illegal fishing. Vaquitas share waters with the much sought-after totoaba fish and fishing nets inadvertently catch and drown the porpoise.

Are there still Vaquitas?

The vaquita is a small porpoise endemic to the Sea of Cortez in the Upper Gulf of California in Mexico. It is estimated that there are now fewer than 10 vaquitas left, with a total population decline of 98.6% since 2011.

What would happen if Vaquitas became extinct?

If the vaquita were to go extinct in the next couple of years, we would have had two cetacean species lost in just a bit over a decade. This, despite the loss of not a single cetacean species in several hundred years of relentless hunting, using newly-developed technologies to make the hunt more efficient.

Do vaquitas lay eggs?

In the winter, adults swim northward. They swim to their nursery area. This is where they lay their eggs. After the eggs hatch, the young fish grow up in the nursery.

How many vaquita are in captivity?

But the population kept falling—from more than 200 individuals in 2008 to fewer than 30 in 2016. Unable to protect vaquitas in the wild, the government made an unprecedented attempt to protect them in captivity.

Why are the vaquitas being saved?

In 2017, they made this ban permanent along with a ban on night fishing to try to combat the illegal totoaba fishing problem. The only way to save them is for the government to stamp out the illegal totoaba poaching and trade and remove all nets from the vaquitas’ home.

Are there any Vaquitas in captivity?

The plan is risky in entering uncharted waters – no one has ever successfully captured a live vaquita, much less raised one in captivity. Captive breeding would make it possible for the critically endangered porpoise to live and breed away from the dangers of fishing and other threats.

What is the rarest land animal in the world?

The Vaquita is currently the rarest animal in the world, and quite possibly the most endangered, with only about 10 individuals left in the wild.

How many Amur leopards are left in the world 2021?

Only 70 Amur leopards are left in the wild.

What laws protect the vaquita?

The “ Rules of the General Law of Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection in matters of Natural Protected Areas” prohibit fisheries that result in by-catch of vaquita, totoaba, sea turtles or any other species at risk in the reserve.

Is vaquita a dolphin?

The vaquita is about 5 feet long and is one of the smallest members of the dolphin, whale, and porpoise family. Females are longer than males, but males have larger fins. Vaquitas have small, strong bodies with a rounded head and no beak.