Researchers from Florida Atlantic University have created one of the most detailed digital records ever made of the vaquita (Phocoena sinus), the world’s most endangered marine mammal. Using medical CT scans, high-resolution micro-CT imaging, and digital photography, the team digitized a rare female vaquita skeleton collected in 1966, transforming it into interactive 3D models that can be explored, measured, and studied without risking damage to the fragile original specimen. The resulting datasets have been made freely available through the MorphoSource repository.
The project serves as both a scientific resource and a conservation effort for a species on the brink of extinction. Found only in Mexico’s northern Gulf of California, the vaquita has suffered a catastrophic population decline due to accidental entanglement in illegal gillnets used to catch totoaba fish. With only a handful of individuals believed to remain in the wild, the digital archive preserves invaluable anatomical information for future generations while raising awareness of the urgent need for international action to eliminate gillnet fishing and protect this critically endangered porpoise.
More information:
https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/pixels-preserve-endangered-vaquita.php