First Bumblebee Declared Endangered in U.S.

The rusty patched bumblebee population has declined 87 percent over the past two decades.

The rusty patched bumblebee is the first bumblebee to be designated as an endangered species in the United States. PHOTOGRAPH BY ALAMY

For the first time in the United States, a species of bumblebee is endangered.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday on its website that the rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis), once a common sight, is “now balancing precariously on the brink of extinction.” Over the past two decades, the bumblebee’s population has declined 87 percent, according to the announcement.

The news comes just a few months after the first ever bees were declared endangered in the U.S. In September, seven species of Hawaiian bees, including the yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus anthracinus), received protectionunder the Endangered Species Act. (Read “For the First Time, Bees Declared Endangered in the U.S.”)

 The threats facing those seven species are similar to the ones that have depleted rusty patched bumblebee populations: loss of habitat, diseases and parasites, pesticides, and climate change. This is a big deal not only for bees but for humans, too—after all, bees pollinate a lot of our food.

“Bumblebees are among the most important pollinators of crops such as blueberries, cranberries, and clover and almost the only insect pollinators of tomatoes,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s rusty patched bumblebee profile. “The economic value of pollination services provided by native insects (mostly bees) is estimated at $3 billion per year in the United States.” (See seven intimate pictures that reveal the beauty of bees.)

Why do dogs sleep so much?

If it seems like your dog sleeps a lot, that's because he does. (Photo: Norbert Beri/Shutterstock)

What's your dog doing right now? Unless it's dinnertime, there's a good chance he's sleeping. As every dog owner knows, dogs sleep a lot.

In fact, according to the American Kennel Club, dogs spend 12 to 14 hours of every 24-hour cycle sleeping. To break it down even more, they spend 50 percent of their time dozing, 30 percent awake but just lying around, and the remaining 20 percent actually being active. And you thought you were a couch potato sometimes!

How much sleep your dog needs depends on several different factors:

A Frog That Freezes and Thaws, Plus More Ways Animals Cope With Cold

Wild creatures don't have the luxury of curling up under the covers—here's how they make it through winter.

When cold weather arrives, the Arctic fox grows into its winter coat—lighter fur that helps it blend into the snow. PHOTOGRAPH BY TOM MURPHY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

Our winter survival skills often involve staying indoors with plenty of blankets, cocoa, and mindless TV at the ready.

But wild animals don't have that luxury—they have to tough it out in the cold. That made Weird Animal Question of the Week wonder: “What are some cool ways animals stay safe and warm in winter?” (See some incredible pictures of winter wildlife.)

Praying Mantis Looks Like a Flower—And Now We Know Why

The mantis orchid of Southeast Asia evolved in a way that's completely unique to insects.

An adult male Malaysian orchid mantis perches atop a female.

 
PHOTOGRAPH BY LIFE ON WHITE, ALAMY

When is an orchid not an orchid? When it's a female orchid praying mantis, a Southeast Asian insect that masquerades as a flower to attract prey.

With petal-like legs and a yellow or whitish pink color, females share little resemblance to males, which are about half the size and sport a dull, greenish brown color.

Orcas may replace polar bears as top predator. Here's where

Researchers say melting sea ice in Hudson Bay continues to stir a dramatic shift in the food chain, with killer whales eating their way to the top of the predator list.

"We are seeing a lot more killer whale activity in Hudson Bay and they are a top predator," Steven Ferguson, researcher with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the University of Manitoba told CBC. "They are really a magnificent, interesting predator - highly efficient."

How climate change is transforming the Arctic’s underwater soundscape

A male ribbon seal at the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve in Alaska (Photo: Josh London/NOAA)

Oceanographer Kate Stafford uses underwater microphones (called hydrophones) to record the daily sounds of the chilly, chilly waters off the coast of Alaska. For years, she and her team at the University of Washington have been studying the sounds of the Arctic Sea in hopes to better understand the lives of the animals that call this place home.