# @natgeo on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CbV6vaOsCKz
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11681163-natgeo-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/bbaaa92c51.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-03-20T22:30:30.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** National Geographic (@NatGeo) — https://gondola.cc/NatGeo

## Caption

Photo by javier_aznar_photography | In Ecuador's Amazon rainforest, an ant protects an adult female treehopper (at right) that takes care of an egg mass. Thanks to a diet rich in sap, treehoppers produce a tasty honeydew. The treehoppers exchange this substance with the ants for protection from other insects or predators. I spent days trying to take this image—the ants would not stop moving. In the end, I captured both parental care and mutualism in a single frame. Follow javier_aznar_photography to see the micro world surrounding us. #treehoppers #ant #mutualism #wildlife

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 113,133
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 500

## Tags

wildlife, mutualism, ant, treehoppers

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