Bored Panda contacted the overall winner of this year’s competition and asked some questions about the photo “Maternal Care” and his work. First, we wanted the photographer to share the story behind capturing this extraordinary moment in Ecuador's Yasuní National Park. Javier Aznar González de Rueda told us: “In 2021 I spent some time in a lodge inside the Yasuni National Park (Mandari Panga Jungle Expeditions) taking photos of insects and other animals. During that time I observed for two weeks a female stink bug of the species Antiteuchus tripterus, that was guarding its clutch of eggs on a small branch. This behavior has been reported for other true bug species. But to my surprise, it turned out that the mother bug not only protected the eggs but also the newly hatched larvae up to their first moult. Maternal care significantly increases the offspring's chances of survival since there are many predators and parasitoids such as ichneumon wasps who can kill the brood.”

"Maternal Care" showcases a stink bug's exceptional maternal care behavior. We were wondering if the photographer could tell us more about the challenges and techniques involved in documenting this behavior over a two-week period. Javier said: “The challenge was to return every day and many times in order to check the stage of the eggs and if they hatched. During two weeks, many things can happen to the stink bug, from a predator feeding on it, to parasitoids laying eggs inside the stink bug egg. It was an easy subject to photograph since it was quiet sitting on the eggs while protecting them.”

We wanted to know how the photographer believes his images can contribute to raising awareness about the need to protect wildlife and the environment. We found out that: “My photos contribute to understanding the world of the unseen animals, showcasing their lives, and the threats around them. We as humans only protect what we care about, and there is a world out there that most of the people don't know about, so with my work I try to bring attention to these very unknown animals in order to protect them.”

The photographer continued: “Insects are especially vulnerable by our global actions and their populations have decreased to alarming numbers in the last decades, and we definitely need them in order to survive. They are some of the most important pillars in the ecosystems and we are killing them. Without insects the world we know would disappear, so we'd better conserve them for our own good. With my photos from a close and personal perspective, I try to connect the people with the tiny organisms who surround us.”

Lastly, asked about upcoming projects or initiatives he’s currently working on, Javier shared with us: “I have many projects that I would like to work on and many others that I am working on now that I can't share until they are finished. But for now I am still working, showcasing the natural history of the rainforest animals.”