The vaquita is the smallest living cetacean. This porpoise, scientifically named Phocoena sinus, reaches about 150 centimeters in length in females and 140 centimeters in males.
Vaquitas live only in the northern Gulf of California, also called the Sea of Cortez, where they favor shallow, murky water. Their limited range is the smallest of any cetacean. Dark patches around the eyes and lips, plus a tall triangular dorsal fin, help distinguish them from other porpoises.
The species is critically endangered, mainly because vaquitas become entangled in gillnets used illegally to catch totoaba. Surveys once estimated hundreds of animals, but modern estimates suggest only a tiny remnant remains. A common mix-up is confusing the vaquita with the harbor porpoise: both are small porpoises, but the vaquita is smaller and has a much narrower geographic range.