Vaquita

Vaquita
Temporal range: Holocene
[1]
Size compared to an average human
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[3]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: Phocoenidae
Genus: Phocoena
Species:
P. sinus
Binomial name
Phocoena sinus
Norris & McFarland, 1958
Map
IUCN range of the Vaquita
  Extant (resident)

The vaquita (/vəˈktə/ və-KEE-tə; Phocoena sinus) is a species of porpoise endemic to the northern end of the Gulf of California in Baja California, Mexico. Reaching a maximum body length of 150 cm (4.9 ft) (females) or 140 cm (4.6 ft) (males), it is the smallest of all living cetaceans.

The species is currently on the brink of extinction, and is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List;[2] the steep decline in abundance is primarily due to bycatch in gillnets from the illegal totoaba fishery.[4][2]