Marine Mammals Lecture

 After some more tide pooling in a rocky intertidal area behind the Vina Del Mar hotel this morning, we received a lecture from Paloma, the Education and Liaison Manager at CEDO. Her lecture described the marine mammals that inhabit the Sea of Cortez.


Below is a list of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) that can be found in the Northern Sea of Cortez:

- Minke whales

- Bryde’s whales

- Fin whales

- Blue whales

- Gray whales

- Humpback whales

- Pigmy sperm whales

- Long beaked common dolphins

- Risso’s dolphins

- Sperm whales

- Short finned pilot whales

- Orcas

- False killer whales

- Bottlenose dolphins

- Cuvier’s beaked whales

- Vaquitas


The vaquita, in particular, is a porpoise that is endemic to the upper Gulf of California. It is the world’s smallest cetacean, averaging around 4ft 6in long. The vaquita is also critically endangered, with an estimated population of less than 13 left in the wild. Many attempts have been made to preserve the species, but illegal fishing, pollution, and low reproduction rates continue to push the species closer to extinction.


- Kelsey


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