Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) The Vaquita is a member of the porpoise family or more commonly known as the dolphin family. There are around 200 of them left in the wild. Vaquitas have natural predators such as sharks, but their biggest threat is by-catch. Since one Vaquita caught is too many, urgent measures must be taken to protect them from this type of fishing gear. By-catch must be eliminated completely for the species to recover. They are the world’s smallest and rarest species of porpoise/dolphin and the only place in the world they are found is in the upper part of Mexico’s Gulf of California. They grow as long as five feet (1.52 metres) and weigh up to 120 pounds (54.5 kg). Their diet consists of squid and small fish. Vaquitas use sonar to communicate and navigate Gulf waters. When seen, they are either alone or in small groups of two or three. The Vaquita is also the only porpoise species found in such warm waters. The Vaquitas mating season is from April to May and the female’s gestation is around 10-11 months, a little longer than a human. They only give birth to one calf making it hard to repopulate the area in which they live. In order to save the Vaquita I have made this online petition for people to sign. Once a good number of people have signed the petition I will send it to either the Mexican government  or the WWF. The aim is to get the WWF to take a stand with us and create a no fishing zone where the Vaquita is situated.

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