The vaquita is also called “vaquita marina” and the Gulf of California harbor porpoise. There are only ~10 left in the world. After that, Read and many other scientists say they were heartbroken, but still felt that the risk of extinction outweighed those of capture. Learn more about what makes them interesting below. Dark rings surround their eyes and mouths, which may account for their common name (vaquita means âlittle cowâ in Spanish). But we only get commission on items you buy and donât return, so weâre only happy if youâre happy. Sadly, the vaquita is classified as critically endangered with less than 100 thought to survive. "The devices look for a particular frequency," Read explains. The porpoise has a conspicuous black ring around each eye. Since they are elusive, not much is known about the social behaviour or the reproductive cycle of the vaquita. Although the females in certain populations do not have antlers, many do. This incredibly rare little porpoise has been getting attention in the media due to its precarious population numbers. Some fishermen in the Gulf agreed to test the gear. One subspecies, the Arctic reindeer of eastern Greenland, is extinct. When a colleague compared the skulls to those of another porpoise at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at Berkeley, California, they noticed differences striking enough to consider the finds a new species. Vaquitas grow to almost 5 feet in … Historically, the Eurasian reindeer and American caribou were considered to be different species, but they are actually one and the same: Rangifer tarandus. The Vaquita, also known as ‘cochito’, ‘vaquita marina’ and ‘Gulf of California harbour porpoise’, exists in only one place in the world, the Gulf of California. Another CIRVA survey in 2015 combined visual and passive acoustic data collected simultaneously and made a dismal finding: Only 59 vaquita remained. With the help of over 7,000 of the world’s best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, Arkive.org featured multi-media fact-files for more than 16,000 endangered species. Casual conversation is home to a variety of prompts. The vaquita has a large dark ring around its eyes and dark patches on its lips that form a thin line from the mouth to the … "From the perspective of the fishermen, what they could make legally fishing versus illegally fishing for totoaba, there is enormous incentive," Read tells Mental Floss. These porpoises are closely related to the Southern Hemisphere species of porpoise such as the Burmeister porpoise, their closest cousin. 2 Females grow to be around 1.5 metres long. Live-action films usually use full-sized reindeer and animations usually draw the creatures as a cross between a white-tailed deer and a reindeer. (Vaquitas tend to stay at least a half-mile away from boats.) Vaquita is very small animal. Its habitat has shrunk considerably in the last few centuries. More information Accept. Vaquita are often caught and drowned in gillnets used by illegal fishing operations in marine protected areas within Mexico's Gulf of California. A vaquita is a small, dark grey porpoise that reaches a maximum length of just under five feet and weighs up to 120 pounds. Distribution map. Another distinctive feature of Vaquita is its ability of tolerating large annual fluctuations in temperature, which is also uncommon in porpoises. Beginning in 2008, scientists created a catalog of these photos, adding new individuals and recording sightings of previously identified animals. Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain. Today on Amazon, upgrade your desktop setup with deep discounts on HD monitors from Samsung. ", In 2008, CIRVA scientists conducted another ship-based visual survey, scanning the water for vaquitas with high-powered binoculars that could see as far as 3 miles. Some of our website features may not function as a result. Top 10 Things to Consider Before Buying a Dog, Top 10 Ways to Make your Garden more Wildlife Friendly, Top 10 Things to Think about Before Buying Fish, Top 10 Ways to be an Eco-Friendly Traveller, The closest sighting has been from a far distance of 300ft [90m.