FAU Team Digitally Reconstructs Vaquita Skeleton as Wild Population Falls to 7-10
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 20
FAU Team Digitally Reconstructs Vaquita Skeleton as Wild Population Falls to 7-10
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 20
Summary
A Florida Atlantic University-led team created a full 3D digital model of a female vaquita skeleton and released the scans online, giving researchers broad access to one of the rarest marine mammal specimens.
The project combined hospital-grade CT, ultra-high-resolution micro-CT and photography to digitize a complete skeleton collected in 1966, assembling thousands of slices into models of every bone down to microscopic structures.
Only a few vaquita skeletons are thought to exist, so the open dataset lets scientists study anatomy without handling fragile originals and could also be used to make accurate museum and classroom replicas.
WWF now estimates just seven to 10 vaquitas remain, down from about 600 in 1997, with the species driven toward extinction by gillnet bycatch tied to illegal totoaba fishing in Mexico's northern Gulf of California.
Can this 3D skeleton help AI systems disrupt the illegal wildlife trafficking that is killing the last vaquitas?
Is this digital vaquita a scientific triumph or a high-tech memorial for a species we are failing to save?
Vaquita on the Brink: 2026 Report on Survival, Illegal Fishing, and the Fight for Mexico’s Endangered Porpoise
Overview
As of mid-2026, the vaquita, the world’s most endangered marine mammal, continues to survive in its only habitat in the upper Gulf of California, defying earlier predictions of extinction. Despite a drastic population decline from 567 individuals in 1997, recent collaborative monitoring efforts by Mexican agencies and Sea Shepherd in late 2025 have brought renewed hope. However, illegal gillnet fishing, mainly for the totoaba fish, remains the main threat. The fight to save the vaquita now depends on strict enforcement, international cooperation, and supporting local communities, offering a fragile but real chance for the species’ survival.