How rare is the vaquita? There are only 10 left in the world.
The vaquita is a small porpoise found in the waters of Mexico. They weren’t discovered until 1958 and now they’re almost gone. Why? They get tangled in gillnets being used for illegal fishing in the area. The real target is the totoaba, which have a $4,000/pound of swim bladder price. The vaquita are a terrible consequence of this illegal activity, which groups are trying to stop. Yet, this cannot be accomplished without the help of the Mexican government to crackdown on illegal fishing.
Here is a site about saving the Vaquita!
So, what are some Vaquita facts?
- They are the smallest species of porpoise at 5 feet long and 120 pounds.
- Their most notable features are black rings around their eyes and black curved lips. People say they look like pandas.
- They only live in the northern end of Mexico’s Gulf of California.
That’s really it for major facts since they’re mostly known for their critical endangered status. Let’s get a look at them. Preferably alive, which seems to be a challenge in the Google Image Search.
Legends of Windemere 
Now that’s something where an aquarium or a park like Sea World could make itself useful.
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Unfortunately, all attempts to keep vaquitas in captivity have failed. They don’t survive long. It’s the same with great white sharks.
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How awful, Charles. Do do pot info about this again. I donated. Have they relocated some to an aquarium?
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They don’t survive in captivity. So, they can’t take them out of the wild.
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Truly sad.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks for sharing.
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👍😃
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Such a sad tale. Thanks for sharing it though,
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You’re welcome.
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So tragic. I haven’t even heard of these, and 10 isn’t much to work with.
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Maybe cloning can help them.
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Charles, hi, I had never even heard of this species before reading your article and cannot even imagine what it is possible to do to save it. I am glad that you have made me and others aware of its plight.
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Glad you enjoyed it. I stumbled onto them by searching for rarest animals.
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Tis’ a shame that we cannot do anything.
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People are trying with protecting the survivors. I think cloning is being considered too when the science improves.
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So sad to see any animal go extinct, especially when it’s our fault, or rather, the fault of some humans who are illegally fishing, and not caring. These are cute little animals.
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One of the issues was that they were so elusive that nothing was really known about them until the late 1980’s. Even then, people were finding skeletal remains more than living ones.
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