vaquita

noun

va·​qui·​ta vä-ˈkē-tə 

plural vaquitas

: a small, highly endangered porpoise (Phocoena sinus) of the Gulf of California having a dark ring around the eyes and reaching only four to five feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) in length

The Mexican government is making a final effort to save the vaquita, a tiny porpoise that has been driven to the edge of extinction as a result of illegal fishing for another endangered species that is served as a delicacy in China.

—Elisabeth Malkin

Examples of vaquita in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile the official number of vaquitas has dropped to just 30. —Erik Vance, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2017

The expedition took place May 10-26, and crisscrossed a corner of the gulf where the few remaining vaquitas had last been seen. —Mark Stevenson, ajc, 8 June 2023

For two weeks in May, researchers sailed around part of the gulf, which is the only place vaquitas — the most endangered porpoise in the world — live. —Catherine Garcia, The Week, 15 June 2023

The last vaquita sighting expedition in 2021 yielded probable sightings of 5 to 13 vaquitas, a decline from the previous survey in 2019. —Mark Stevenson, ajc, 8 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above