There are a lot of animals on the verge of extinction. Some of the reasons for their population decline are pollution and loss of habitat. The smallest porpoise is the most endangered marine mammal.
- There are only 30 vaquita porpoises left.
- The vaquita is the smallest porpoise.
- It is also known as the “panda of the sea”.
- This marine mammal might be extinct by 2020.
The vaquita porpoise is the smallest of its kind. There are only 30 vaquita porpoises left. The marine animals are also known as pandas of the sea. This is because of their ringed eyes. Despite the fact that they are the smallest of their kind these marine animals are 1.4 meters long.
The vaquita porpoise population suffered a decrease of 90% since 1997. The report that was conducted last year showed that these animals need to be protected because they will be extinct by 2022. All of the vaquita porpoises live in the Gulf of California.
This Gulf is the most important fishing region for Mexico. These marine mammals are usually trapped by the fishing nets are killed. Despite the fact that the Mexican government tried to make some changes the illegal fishing nets were still present in the Gulf of California.
The report also mentioned that vaquitas don’t have many natural predators. This means that it is the fault of people activity in that area. The fact that they live in a place all together makes it easier for people to hunt them.
Researchers warned people that they have only one chance left to save these marine animals. In order to save them, they need to capture some of them and let them reproduce. After that, they can be brought to their natural environment. In order to stop them from being killed again, the illegal fishing nets need to be removed.
The problem is that these animals are hard to catch and to house. The species is not suitable for these types of conservation actions. This is why it is going to be extremely difficult to save these animals from extinction.
There are other marine animals that are on the verge of extinction. The species that are going to be extinct in a few years include gray whales, monk seal, Indus river dolphins, and Saimaa ringed seals.
What is your opinion about this report? Did you know that this species might be extinct by 2020?
Image source: Wikipedia
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