Let’s take a moment to veer away from the huge dinosaurs that lived millions of years ago, and think about the unbelievably adorable small species of porpoises that are getting extinct right in front of our eyes
These endearing calf-like cetaceans are called the Vaquitas! Teeny-meeny in size when compared to their cousins, adult Vaquitas are usually anything between 4 and 5 feet, and have a good BMI (humanwise!). There are dark rims around their eyes (being cute is stressful, okay?), and black curved lips that look like very, very appealing smiles. And if you’re wondering where you’ve seen them before, they look like baby cows!
The Vaquitas, being shy and reserved as they are, can only (!) be found in the Mexican Gulf of California. You’ll find them near the shores but, should you approach them in a boat or otherwise, they’ll quickly swim away to deeper waters.
In 2020, it was found out that there were only around ten individual Vaquitas left. But how did this happen?
Vaquitas are indirectly affected by illegal fishing. Even though their friends, the totoabas, are endangered too, they are still illegally caught. The Vaquitas are caught in the net as by-catches and suffocate.
Why do we care?
Vaquitas are both predators and preys in their habitat. While they get eaten by the bigger fishes, they balance out the small fish population by munching on them. If they were to get completely extinct, the food web will get disturbed and lead to an unbalanced ecosystem (and can we really risk that?).
How can we help?
Making informed decisions is always a good thing to do. Share this post with your friends and introduce them to the cute (possibly the cutest) marine creature ever, so that the butterfly effect starts taking place and we are able to save them. Because, Oh My God, look at them! Who wouldn’t want to?
If you liked this article, also check out: This Animal Looks Like A Winged Moose!
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