Marine Life

Vaquita: The World's Most Endangered Marine Mammal

The vaquita porpoise faces imminent extinction with fewer than 10 individuals remaining in Mexico's Gulf of California.

Key Facts

Fewer than 10 vaquitas remain — the rarest marine mammal on Earth
Endemic to the northern Gulf of California, Mexico
Primary threat: entanglement in gillnets used for illegal totoaba fishing
Totoaba swim bladders are smuggled to China for traditional medicine
IUCN status: Critically Endangered (possibly extinct)

Welfare Considerations

Each surviving vaquita faces chronic entanglement risk. Bycatch entanglement causes drowning, lacerations, and extreme distress. The species cannot recover if even one individual dies per year given this tiny population.

What You Can Do

Support Sea Shepherd's Operation Milagro vaquita protection patrols
Avoid purchasing totoaba products or traditional medicines from smuggled swim bladders
Advocate for Mexico to enforce the gillnet ban in the vaquita refuge
Donate to WWF and Porpoise Conservation Society vaquita funds