VAQUITAS
Todays post is about a critically endangered Pokémon: the vaquita
Vaquitas are the most endangered of the cetacean in the WORLD with as few as TEN (10) LEFT in the wild!
WHAT SPECIES ARE THEY?: They are a species of porpoise endemic!
WHERE DO THEY LIVE?: They live up north of the Gulf of California, which is in Baja California, Mexico!
HOW BIG IS THE CREATURE?: The females are max 150cm (4'9 ft) while the males are 140cm (4'6 ft) in body length, making them the smallest living cetaceans!
WHAT IS THEIR MAIN THREAT?: Their main threat is being caught in gillnets from the (ILLEGAL!) totoaba (a different pokémon) fishery!
WHAT DO THEY EAT?: They are GENERALISTS! Meaning they can survive in a variety of environments and can eat various things, but they mainly feast on demersal (ground) fish, crabs, and squids!
HOW ARE THEIR SOCIAL LIVES?: They are usually seen in pairs, most of the time with a calf, but have also been seen in small groups with up to ten (10).
WHAT IS THEIR LIFE EXPECTANCY?: They can live up to twenty(20) years!
HOW DO THEY REPRODUCE?: The way they reproduce is actually also one of the reasons their numbers are dying off. See, they have a synchronous reproductive cycle (meaning they have a mating season). Their pregnancies last around 10 to 11 months, so a little longer than humans, and the calfs are nursed for roughly 7 months before becoming independant from the mother. They only give birth about every other year in the spring time.
WHAT ARE THEIR MAIN THREATS?: Vaquitas live in close proximity to the coast, thus, their habitat being altered is a reason for their low numbers. There is also the birth rate seen above, as you can probably guess, they dont do a good job at reproducing faster than the seed at which they are caught. There is also runoff from pesticides in agriculture, which they ingest, this is toxic to them. Another reason is bycatching, which i mentioned earlier, bycatch is when a pokémon is caught by accident in fishing gear like gillnets, this is not only the vaquitas biggest threat, but also the biggest threat to ALL WATER TYPE POKÉMON!! Due to their massive decline in population, the gene pool for this pokémon has decreased significantly, causing inbreeding, which can lead to them getting weaker in future generations, this is known as inbreeding depression.
WHAT IS THEIR STATUS?: They are listed as critically endangered, only one level above being completely wiped out in the wild, and have been on that list since 1996. There is around ten (10) left in the wild at this moment, and none in captivity. in Mexico, it is considered a felony to remove them from their natural habitat, and gillnet fishing in this reigon is strictly prohibited, and vaquita-safe fishing equipment has been developed to allow this beautiful pokémon to break free!
I used wikipedia to write this article, PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME IF I HAVE MADE A MISTAKE I WILL FIX IT!
