76 | June• 2019
A male jaguar sharpens
his c laws and scratches
his signature into a
tree on the edge of his
mountain territory in
the Sierra de Vallejo in
Mexico’s western state
of Nayarit. The tree has
soft bark, allowing for
deep scratch marks that
are a clear warning,
backed by a pungent
scent, not to trespass.MOTHER DEFENDERBY JAVIER
AZNAR GONZÁLEZ DE RUEDA/ SPAIN
A large Alchisme treehopper guards
her family as the nymphs feed on the
stem of a nightshade plant in El Jardín
de los Sueños reserve in Ecuador. The
devoted mother watches over them,
twisting her body to wield the spines
on her back at any attackers that she
senses or is alerted to by her nymphs’
vibrations or pheromones.SIGNATURE TREE
BY ALEJANDRO PRIETO
MEXICO