…is a cute little panda-spotted porpoise that could fit in your bath tub?? 🐬

TIME TO SUPPORT OUR FRIEND, THE VAQUITA!

read on to learn more (and maybe grab yourself some swag ;3)

(also, please tell your friends!)

oh! but… you’ve not heard of vaquitas? totally in the dark as to what’s going on with them? not a problem, i’ve got you covered!👇

here’s a handy link for easy access to the features goodies i’ve got on offer:

fleebites.storenvy.com

more info about individual items to follow!

!! REMEMBER!! the drive ends 10th May, so grab it all quick-like!

And what is this Sea Shepherd Conservation Society??

they are a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of marine life. notably, they’ve been at the forefront of efforts to protect the vaquita through direct action (as in they actually go in and pull up gill nets, patrol the Sea of Cortez to intercept illegal fishing operations, etc.)

the vaquita is only one of a multitude of imperiled species they are working to save.

suffice to say, i believe they are well worthy of support!

want to check them out? do so here; https://seashepherd.org/

I agree. Once a sufficient number were propagated in captivity, they could be reintroduced to the wild while maintaining a “backup” population in human care, like with red wolves and the species you mentioned! But unfortunately it’s not to be 😔

Cosima 

( ఠൠఠ )

Excerpt from this story from Earther/Gizmodo:

The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is treacherously close to extinction, but the population could rebound without genetic problems related to inbreeding, according to researchers who recently studied the species’ genome.

Vaquitas are 4-to-5-foot-long porpoises that inhabit a narrow stretch of the Gulf of California. The species numbered around 600 when they were first surveyed in 1997. By 2008, that number was down to 200, and now researchers estimate there are around 10 of the animals left on Earth.

Their numbers have dwindled primarily due to the fishing (first legally, and now illegally) of a large fish called the totoaba, also endangered, using gillnets. The totoaba is harvested for its swim bladder, which is valuable in China for its purported medicinal value, according to NOAA.

“Our study shows that the vaquita’s risk of extinction is strongly tied to the level of gillnet fishing. With a complete elimination of mortality caused by gillnets, the vaquita has a very high chance of avoiding extinction,” said Jacqueline Robinson, a biologist at UC San Francisco and a co-author of the paper, in an email to Gizmodo. “We should not assume that a species is ‘doomed’ to extinction based on its natural rarity or naturally low genetic diversity.”

As the world’s smallest porpoise, vaquitas measure up to five-feet long and weigh up to 120 lbs. The vaquita’s unique facial markings of a black ring around each eye and black curved lips have been compared to a smiling panda.