Galápagos carpenter bee Xylocopa darwini

Meet the Galápagos' most important insect: the only native bee species on those famous volcanic islands and found on 75% of the largest islands. Talk about pressure—as the sole native pollinator, this bee carries the entire plant-pollinator network of the Galápagos on its shoulders. The species is sexually dimorphic and renowned for complex behaviors, which helped it adapt and thrive as the archipelago's indispensable pollinator when no other native bees were around to do the job.