Vaquitas top out at about 4.5 feet long and have black borders around their expressive eyes and rounded mouth. They're known to be shy and elusive — but all too easy to scoop up in fishing nets. The ...

I recognized immediately that it belonged to the vaquita, a species of porpoise found only in the northern reaches of the Gulf of California. Its eyes are airbrushed in shadows, ringed by a white ...

Identified only 50 years ago, the vaquita is endemic to Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California. Reaching a maximum length of about four feet, the porpoise is gray, with dark stripes running from its ...

They have a stocky body, rounded head, and no beak. Their backs are dark grey, while their bellies are lighter grey ...

This story appears in the October 2019 issue of National Geographic magazine. Shortly after scientists discovered the species in 1950, they realized it was in trouble. Vaquitas were regularly ...

Typical characteristics of a vaquita include a large dark ring around the eyes and dark patches on the lips. Newborns are ...

At least three vaquita were found dead in the spring of 2016; all bore evidence of scarring due to entanglement in nets. By 2018, as few as 20 vaquitas remained as a result of entanglement in gillnet ...

The vaquita is the most endangered marine mammal on the planet. Countless vaquitas have been drowned in gillnets, which is their biggest single threat. While only a few vaquitas remain, recent ...

Vaquitas top out at about 4.5 feet long and have black borders around their expressive eyes and rounded mouth. They're known to be shy and elusive — but all too easy to scoop up in fishing nets. The ...