Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The vaquita (/ v ə ˈ k iː t ə / 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 following is a list of currently existing (or, in the jargon of taxonomy) 'extant' species of the infraorder cetacea (for extinct cetacean species, see the list of extinct cetaceans). The list is organized taxonomically into parvorders, superfamilies when applicable, families, subfamilies when applicable, genus, and then species.
The vaquita is nearly extinct due to bycatch in gill nets, with a predicted population of fewer than a dozen individuals. Since the extinction of the baiji, the vaquita is considered the most endangered cetacean. Some species of porpoises have been and are kept in captivity and trained for research, education and public display.
Spectacled porpoise: circumpolar in cool sub-Antarctic and low Antarctic waters Phocoena phocoena: Harbour porpoise: cooler coastal waters of the North Atlantic, North Pacific and the Black Sea Phocoena sinus: Vaquita: northern area of the Gulf of California, or Sea of Cortez Phocoena spinipinnis: Burmeister's porpoise: coast of South America
The International Whaling Commission released its first ever extinction alert to raise awareness surrounding the decreasing vaquita porpoise population.
Porpoises, and other cetaceans, belong to the clade Cetartiodactyla with even-toed ungulates. Porpoises range in size from the vaquita , at 1.4 metres (4 feet 7 inches) in length and 54 kilograms (119 pounds) in weight, to the Dall's porpoise , at 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) and 220 kg (490 lb).
The smallest cetacean, which is also (as of 2006) the most endangered, is the vaquita, a species of porpoise. Male vaquitas grow to an average of around 135 cm (53 in); the females are slightly longer, averaging about 141 cm (56 in) in length.
This page was last edited on 6 February 2007, at 04:44 (UTC).; Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License; additional terms may apply.