# Vaquita (*Phocoena sinus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/vaquita  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group, belonging to the order Cetacea, suborder Odontoceti and family Phocoenidae. It is a marine piscivore with a carnivore trophic level and a cathemeral activity pattern. Adults have a representative body mass of 42.5 kg, with the highest value reported at 44.06 kg, placing the vaquita in the large size class. The vaquita is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 42.5 kg – 44.1 kg |
| Length | up to 1.5 m |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Piscivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 323 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 4.5 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.5 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Cetacea
- family: Phocoenidae
- genus: Phocoena
- species: *Phocoena sinus* Norris & McFarland, 1958

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the vaquita?

The vaquita is a marine mammal in the whales and dolphins group, classified in the order Cetacea and the family Phocoenidae.

### How heavy is the vaquita?

Adult vaquitas have a representative body mass of 42.5 kg, and the highest value reported by our sources is 44.06 kg.

### What does the vaquita eat?

The vaquita is a piscivore, with a carnivore trophic level.

### Is the vaquita endangered?

Yes. The vaquita is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List, which is an IUCN threatened category.

### How many young does the vaquita have?

The vaquita has 1 young per litter, at a rate of 0.5 litters per year, after a gestation period of 322.7 days.

### Who named the vaquita?

The vaquita, Phocoena sinus, was named by Norris & McFarland, 1958.

### When does the vaquita reach sexual maturity?

The vaquita's age at sexual maturity is given as 137 days.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Vaquita (Phocoena sinus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/vaquita