Gulf of California

UNESCO has given Mexico until February 1, 2027, to demonstrate concrete actions to protect the critically endangered vaquita porpoise and the Gulf of California from liquefied natural gas projects. Mexico has initiated monitoring campaigns and community training programs to track vaquita populations, which remain critically low but are no longer declining.

Orcas in the Gulf of California have been filmed teaming up to smash dead sunfish to pieces. Researchers in a new study are speculating on the reasons behind this behavior.

Researchers documented orcas using collaborative ramming behavior to kill and fragment sharptail sunfish in the Mexican Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California. The high-speed attacks, observed in 2024 and 2025, involved one orca restraining the fish while another struck it forcefully, causing it to explode. The behavior, previously unrecorded, may serve as a feeding strategy or play.

Researchers observed killer whales blowing a dead sunfish to bits in the Gulf of California, possibly for play or to break it into smaller pieces. The behavior, documented in 2024 and 2025, highlights orca intelligence and social dynamics, with experts suggesting it may mirror human social rituals around food sharing.

Orcas have been filmed ramming sunfish at high speed, causing them to explode into fragments. This behavior, observed in the Gulf of California, may aid juvenile orcas in feeding or involve playful interaction. Researchers suggest the technique helps access the sunfish's gelatinous body mass.

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Gulf of California Monday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake occurred at 12:45 p.m. off the coast of La Paz, Mexico, at a depth of 6.2 miles. No tsunami warnings have been issued.