The Vaquita, a small porpoise endemic to Mexico's Gulf of California, is the world's smallest and most endangered small marine cetacean. With fewer than 150 left, high levels of entanglement in fishing gear threaten imminent extinction if current trends continue.
The vaquita lives in shallow lagoons along the shoreline. It is usually found in waters 10 - 28 m deep within 25 km from shore, although it can survive in lagoons so shallow that its back protrudes above the water. Other of its habitat are strong tidal mixing and high productivity of the aquatic plant and animal communities.
The vaquita appears to swim and feed in a leisurely manner, but it is elusive and will avoid boats of any kind. It rises to breathe with a slow, forward-rolling movement that barely disturbs the surface of the water, and then disappears quickly, often for a long time. The vaquita uses high-frequency clicks for echolocation. Vaquita's are generally solitary animals unless accompanied by a calf.
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