Skip to main content

Franklin's Bumblebee

Bombus franklini
When we hear about endangered creatures, the most prominent species in the spotlight tend to be bird, mammals, and other large vertebrates. But there are certainly endangered invertebrates as well, and the Franklin's Bumblebee is one of them.

No one has actually seen one of these bees since 2006, when a survey turned up only one worker. They live in a very small range between Oregon and California, and actually have the smallest range of any Bumblebee in the world.

The decline for Franklin's Bumblebee has been swift. They were still abundant back in the 1990s, but pesticides, habitat loss, and the introduction of new diseases have been devastating. It is very possible that they are already extinct.

The Franklin's Bumblebee is not the only Bee in danger though. Colony Collapse Disorder has led to a 96% decline in Honey Bees across the United States. The spread of infected, commercially raised Bees is thought to be a major contributor to this catastrophe. Unfortunately, the Franklin's Bumblebee, due to its tiny range, may not have survived this huge drop, and could be gone forever.

IUCN Status : Critically Endangered
Location : United States
Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Hymenoptera
Family : Apidae -- Genus : Bombus -- Species : B. franklini
Image : Thorp

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed Location :   Cent