Facts about Vaquita

1. 06

   In 1997, Mexico established a vaquita refuge spanning 1,350 square kilometers in the northern Gulf of California to protect the species from fishing activities.

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2. 05

   A vaquita's diet consists primarily of small fish and squid found in the shallow waters of the Gulf of California, with feeding depths rarely exceeding 30 meters.

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3. 04

   Vaquitas produce ultrasonic clicks between 40 and 130 kilohertz to navigate and hunt fish in the murky Gulf of California waters.

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4. 03

   Illegal gillnets set for totoaba fish kill approximately 40 percent of the remaining vaquita population annually in Mexican waters.

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5. 02

   The vaquita's maximum body length reaches only 3.9 to 4.2 feet, making it the smallest cetacean species in the world.

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6. 01

   Fewer than 10 vaquitas remained in the Gulf of California by 2019, making this porpoise species the most critically endangered marine mammal on Earth.

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