Here's a visual summary of information on the Vaquita:
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According to the Avaaz petition website:
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The Vaquita's wikipedia page is also saying there are only 12 of these porpoises left.
The WWF page doesn't appear to be quite so up-to-date in its statistics, as it is still saying there are 30 left.
Not that that number is much better, in the grand scheme of things.
In fact, it's pretty horrifying.
Attempts by the Mexican government, alongside conservation groups, in November of 2017 to capture some in the hopes of beginning a breeding programme failed as one of the females died shortly after collection. Quite a setback to a plan with good intentions.
This one, which had died, was photographed aboard the fishing boat whose nets it had been caught up in.
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They are not hunted in their own right, but caught up in the gilltrap nets used to collect the Totoaba - an endangered fish harvested for its swim bladder (a Chinese delicacy in soup, and medicine).
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It can fetch high prices – 200 bladders may be sold for $3.6 million at 2013 prices – as it is erroneously believed by many Chinese to be a treatment for fertility, circulatory, and skin problems. source
A few facts about the Vaquita:
- In ideal conditions they can live about 20 years
- They live in shallower waters, rather than being deep-sea mammals
- They enjoy eating crustaceans, squid, and small fish
- Gestation takes between 10 - 11 months; and then its a further 6 - 8 months before the young are independent
- Back in 1997 it was estimated there were about 567 of them
- Sharks are their only natural predators
- They were not 'discovered' until the 1950s
- a.k.a's include: desert porpoise, Gulf of California harbor porpoise, cochito, vaquita marina
- scientific name: Phocoena sinus
- Vaquita means 'little cow'
It is good timing that the plight of this beautiful creature has come to my attention, as it is almost their annual awareness day:
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They are an important link in the biodiversity chain which exists within their habitat. Their loss will most certainly have a ripple effect; and indeed with such low numbers their whole genetic diversity is affected, as is their ability to even breed.
Please, spread the word before it is too late.
Notes:
There is currently a petition you can sign, aimed at stopping the loss of endangered species. It's quick and painless.
https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/extinction_crisis_loc/
There are websites such as this one, through which you can show financial support by 'adopting' a Vaquita:
http://porpoise.org/gift/adopt-a-vaquita/
Bibliography:
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/vaquita
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaquita
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totoaba
http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/science/Working-with-Endangered-Species/vaquita.html
(extra tags: #geopolis #education #animals #life)