The smallest of all whales, dolphins and porpoises, found only in the far north of the Gulf of California in Mexico. It is grey with black rings around its eyes and lips. It is on the brink of extinction, drowned as bycatch in illegal gillnets set for another fish, the totoaba.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inOceans
HabitatOpen ocean, Coast
ColoursGrey, White, Black
SizeLarge
LengthUp to 150 cm (females) or 140 cm (males)
WeightAbout 27–68 kg
LegsNone
Covered inSkin
Lives alone
Lives for20 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Only the upper Gulf of California, Mexico: the smallest range of any whale or porpoise.
- What it eats
- Bottom-living fish such as grunts and croakers, plus crustaceans and squid.
- Conservation
- Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
The rarest marine mammal on Earth, with around ten individuals left.
Scientists described it from skulls in 1958, but a fresh body to show what it looked like was not found until 1985.
Its name is Spanish for "little cow".
Often confused with
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