On the brink of extinction, the vaquita gets a digital lifeline

Image for article On the brink of extinction, the vaquita gets a digital lifeline
News Source : Science Daily

News Summary

  • The vaquita is a small porpoise found only in the shallow waters of Mexico's northern Gulf of California.
  • Only an estimated handful of vaquitas remain in the wild, leaving the species dangerously close to extinction.
  • The population collapse has been caused primarily by accidental entanglement in gillnets, especially those used to illegally catch totoaba.
  • Researchers combined medical CT scans, micro-CT imaging, and digital photography to produce one of the most comprehensive digital anatomical records ever created.
The vaquita (Phocoena sinus), a small porpoise found only in the shallow waters of Mexicos northern Gulf of California, is among the most endangered marine mammals on the planet.

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