Weird & Wonderful Answers

Vaquita

Vaquita meaning ‘little cow’, is a unique species of porpoise found only in one body of water: the Gulf of California. They reproduce only once every two years and up to 15% of them die in fishing nets each year. They are also threatened by the use of chlorinated pesticides.

Whale Shark

These are the world's biggest fish, growing up to 18m long and weighing 19,000 kg. Their rapid decline is largely due to commercial fishing and poaching, with demand coming from the Far East for meat, fins and oil, and their skin for bags.

Pink River Dolphin

The Amazon, or Pink river dolphin is a relatively abundant freshwater cetacean with an estimated population in the 10,000s. However, it is still classified as vulnerable while other species, such as the Irrawaddy and Ganges river dolphins, and the Yangtze finless porpoise are critically endangered.

 Frilled Shark

This ancient creature lives in the deep ocean, swims like an eel and often swallows its prey whole. Growing up to 7 feet, many scientists consider it to be ‘near threatened’ with extinction because of their natural rarity and occasional appearance as bycatch.

Dugong

No, not a manatee, but a close relative. Note the different tail shape and the broad, short, and trunk-like snout. The dugong is extinct around China and Taiwan, and, according to the IUCN, it has declined in many other parts of its range. 

Leafy Sea Dragon

A close relative of the seahorse and found only in southern Australian waters where they have protected status, as their numbers dipped critically in 1990s due to demand as aquarium pets. Pollution and habitat loss have also negatively impacted this beautiful species. 

Hooded Seal

Named for the elastic sac that expands into a large ball in adult males, they average 2.5-3 m in length and weigh 300-400 kg. They are found  in the  north Atlantic, and are considered to be one of  the top three arctic marine mammal most sensitive to climate change.

Mottled Sea Hare

Sea hares are Gastropoda, the largest group of organisms in the phylum Mollusca. There are a total of 35 species of sea hares, the population of the Mottled variety is unknown, but they are all are region-specific species and cannot survive in extreme climates. 

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

This is the smallest of all sea turtles and the most endangered. Primarily found in the Gulf of Mexico, the population crashed  to a low of only a few 100 nesting females in the 1980s.  Bycatch is the biggest threat facing this species. 

Aya-Aye

OK, so not a sea creature! But it's been one of my all time favourites ever since I saw it at  London Zoo. 

It's a member of the lemur family and grows to around 3 feet, with a tail as long as its body and a weird extra long finger to snag insects.