Unlike most other porpoise species which breed every year, vaquitas give birth every 2 years.
The maximum population growth rate of the vaquita is not likely to exceed 4% annually, a rate commonly used for porpoises.
Sexual maturation is estimated to occur at 3-6 years of age. Most births occur in early March, presumably following a peak in ovulations and conceptions in approximately mid-April. The gestation is estimated to be 11 months. The generation time for the vaquita is estimated as 10 years, therefore three generations is approximately 30 years.
• Image | © Semarnat, Public Domain
• Sources | (Hohn & D’Agrosa, 1997; NOAA, 2008; Rojas-Bracho, Reeves, & Jaramillo-Legorreta, 2006; Rojas-Bracho & Taylor, 1999)
