Type: Insect Lives In: Northern Hemisphere Conservation Status: Endangered
For a long time now, when anyone's asked me what my favourite animal is, I've always replied Bumble Bees. There are lots of reasons for this. They're one of the least hostile insects of their type, for example, and are far less likely to sting than other bees, or especially damn wasps. There's also the myth that they should be incapable of flight. This has of course been proven as false now but it stills gives them an aura of majesty. In fact, their wings are so powerful that they can reach speeds of up to 15 metres-per-second and they can cause a visible helicopter-like down-draft when they hover over plants! They are mainly found in the northern hemisphere where there are more than 250 different species. Sadly, some of these are already extinct and if their decline continues it could spell trouble since they are major pollinators of a majority of our flora and are of vital importance to the delicate ecological and economical balance of our environment. I hope something can be done to help them out though - whether they should be able to fly or not, it always puts a smile on my face when I see one of the little fuzzballs flying around!Why They Are Awesome: Because they defy science!
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