In December 2006, scientists reported that the Baiji, a freshwater dolphin found only in the Yangtze River of China, was probably extinct after a 6-week search failed to find a single animal. The loss of this 20 million year old species is the first dolphin to be driven to extinction by humans. With the likely extinction of the Baiji, the Vaquita, a porpoise found only in the waters of the northern Gulf of California, Mexico, now becomes the most critically endangered species in the world. With a population of 200-300 animals and numbers declining, its future is uncertain. Bookmark this page to learn what you can do to turn the tides and help save the vaquita.

Vaquita (“little cow”) is the name used by local fishermen in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico to describe the world’s smallest porpoise. First described in 1958, the vaquita is the most critically endangered small marine mammal on the planet. Known only from a small localized area near San Felipe and Roca Consag in the upper Gulf of California, the vaquita occurs singly or in small groups and feeds upon small fishes and squids in the shallow waters. The main human-caused problem affecting the species is incidental mortality in fishing gear set for shark, fish and shrimp.