Digitizing hope: Collaboration helps preserve species on brink of extinction with 3D imaging lab
Jan 14, 2025
The vaquita, which means "little cow" in Spanish, is the world's smallest porpoise and most endangered marine mammal. They also have the smallest range of any marine mammal; about 1,500 square miles within the northern Gulf of California. Since 1997, vaquitas have experienced a dramatic population loss from about 600 individuals to an estimate of less than 10 animals to date. At this current rate, vaquitas are expected to become extinct imminently.