VAQUITA
THE VAQUITA IS THE MOST ENDANGERED ANIMAL SPECIES CURRENTLY . WITH JUST 10 OF THESE ANIMALS ARE LEFT IN THE WORLD . JULY 18 MARKS THE SAVE THE VAQUITA DAY .
ABOUT THIS ANIMAL
THE MEANING OF THIS NAME IN SPANISH MEANS ” LITTLE COW ” . THIS ANIMAL WAS FOUND IN 1950 BY A SCIENTIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA NAMED KENNETH NORRIS . IT WAS FIRST FOUND IN CALIFORNIA . WITH A LENGTH OF 4.5 FEET , IT IS THE SMALLEST OF ALL THE CETACEANS , WHICH INCLUDES ALL THE WHALES AND DOLPHINS OF THE WORLD . IT’S COLOUR HAS DIFFERENT SHADES OF GREY AND ADULTS ARE OLIVE OR TAWNY BROWN . THEY EAT DIFFERENT TYPES OF ANIMALS SUCH AS OTHER CRUSTACEANS, SQUIDS AND FISHES . THEY ONLY SLEEP FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS IN THE NIGHT AND MOSTLY , THESE ANIMALS ALSO HUNT AT NIGHT . THEY ALSO HAVE SOME MARKINGS ON THEIR BODY DUE TO WHICH THEY CAN BE EASILY IDENTIFIED.
HABITAT
IT LIVES IN THE GULF OF CAROLINA WHICH MAKES THE VAQUITA LIVING IN THE SMALLEST RANGE OF AREA COMPARED TO ANY OTHER ANIMAL . THE TEMPERATURE OF THE HABITAT IN WHICH THEY LIVE RANGES FROM ABOUT 7°C TO 22°C . IT ALSO PREFERS WARM WATERS OVER COLDER ONES.
SOME FACTS ABOUT IT
- IT IS THE COUSIN OF THE LARGEST ANIMAL IN THE WORLD , THE BLUE WHALE .
- IT WEIGHS JUST 54 KGS !
- THEY HAVE A LIFE SPAN OF 21 YEARS .
- ALL OF THE VAQUITAS ALIVE TODAY ARE FOUND ONLY IN THE NORTHENMOST AREA OF THE GULF OF CAROLINA .
WHAT CAN WE DO TO SAVE IT ?
1. STOP HUNTING IT .
2. ORGANISE CAMPAIGNS FOR THE SAFETY OF THESE ANIMALS .
3. SPREAD AWARENESS AMONGST YOUR RELATIVES AND OTHER PEOPLE .
4. CLEAN THE OCEANS . VAQUITAS ARE ALSO DYING BECAUSE OF POLLUTED WATERS.
5. DONATE TO ORGANIZATIONS WHICH SUPPORT THE CONSERVATION OF VAQUITAS .
THREATS
- ILLEGAL FISHING
- USE OF GILLNETS WHICH TRAPS THESE ANIMALS.
- REDUCED FLOW OF THE COROLADO RIVER PRESENT IN THE GULF OF CAROLINA WHICH REDUCES FOOD FOR THE VAQUITA.
- POLLUTION AND CONTAMINATION IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ LEADING TO THE DEATH OF THESE ANIMALS
WHY SHOULD THEY SURVIVE ?
VAQUITAS EXIST AS BOTH PREDATOR AND PREY IN THE WATERS . THEY ARE A SOURCE OF FOOD FOR TOP PREDATORS AND THEY ( VAQUITAS ) EAT SMALL FISH , SQUID AND OTHER CRUSTACEANS WHICH HELPS IN KEEPING THE POPULATION OF THESE ANIMALS IN CHECK .
OVERALL , VAQUITA IS AN IMPORTANT MEMBER OF THE EARTH AND BENEFITS THE DIFFERENT SPECIES WHICH RESIDE IN THE WATERS OF OUR PLANET .
IF THEY GO EXTINCT , WHAT WILL HAPPEN ?
IF VAQUITAS GO EXTINCT , THE ENTIRE MARINE FOOD WEB WILL GO DISTURBED. THE PREY ON WHICH VAQUITAS FEED WILL INCREASE BECAUSE THERE WILL BE NO ONE TO EAT THEM , THUS RUINING THE FOOD WEB OF THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM .
