Just before dawn, you’ll hear them roar. And when you walk beneath them they’ll watch you, with calm, curious eyes. They are leaf eaters, and their guts take time to break down all that plant matter. Maybe that’s why they seem so thoughtful and slow.. but they seem to love thunderstorms and Sunday mornings, to sing ~ Photo by @mohsinkazmitakespictures

Think about the fact that when the Incan Empire ruled Peru, this tree was a sapling. So when Columbus reached the Americas some 528 years ago, this tree was standing quietly in the forest. When the Declaration of Independence was being signed in 1776, this tree was just one of many in the jungle. When World War Two was playing out and the earth was in chaos, this tree was bulking out and becoming a giant. How many creatures have lived on it's branches over the centuries? On any given day you'll find monkeys, birds, moss/lichen, snakes, lizards, spiders, ants, and so many others. Up on top the branches are decorated with bromeliads, orchids, cactus, and all manner of strange flora that you'll never see on the jungle floor. She truly is what the tribes call her: Mother of the Forest. It is not just the size that is baffling, but the meaning. I think we've lost that kind of thought. What is a river? Is it just water flowing over rocks? Or is it the salmon and the bears and the clouds and rain as well? What is a giant tree in the Amazon? Is it just a huge growth of wood, or is it the sum of all the life that it has sheltered for the centuries it has lived?

To properly appreciate the scope of topographic magnificence of the Madre de Dios you’d need to imagine cramming the varied temperature range contained within the latitudes between Peru and Alaska into a dozen miles: from frozen peaks to steaming jungle. In the western Amazon, glaciers in the high Andes send mineral rich runoff in torrents toward the land below. These streams and rivers rush through mossy cloud forests and down into the flat lowlands, where they converge to create the Madre de Dios River and begin the slow march 1,400 miles across the continent, eventually bursting into the Amazon’s main channel roughly twenty miles downstream of Manaus, Brazil. The tropical Andes and the lowland Amazon are considered two separate, mega-biodiverse biomes; entirely different ecosystems. It is the intermingling of these two systems in a tropical climate with abundant moisture and drastically varying elevation that makes the perfect storm for speciation. Contained in this single view is the greatest array of living organisms to have ever existed. Photo by @gowrivaranashi

Every day they keep watch. #junglekeepers

Can you spot the human? Instagram is too small a format for appreciating the tremendous scale of the Amazon canopy. Or this killer shot by @mohsinkazmitakespictures . But if you zoom in, you’ll see @paulrosolie on repel after climbing this 150 foot giant. A kapok tree they call ‘The Mother of the Forest’. Each of those beaches are as big as oaks. Big enough to walk freely around on. The size is dizzying. The amount of life up there is staggering. Lizards, snakes, birds, orchids, cacti, vines, lichen, monkeys... and so many insects. This tree is just a skyscraper stacked with life!

Almost everything in the Amazon depends on the river. Our Rangers travel this central artery between forest concessions daily. They investigate any illegal activity like mining, which not only contributes to deforestation but also pollutes the very river that gives life to this area. We stand with Yony, and our entire team of Junglekeepers Rangers on this World Ranger Day! 🙏 Thanks to all the Wildlife Rangers, all over the world! 🌎 #WorldRangerDay #StandWithRangers #NaturesProtectors

Camera traps help Rangers be the eyes of the jungle 24/7 👀 📹 Here, our Rangers carefully install traps in strategic locations to aid their conservation work. An important research tool, these motion-activated cameras assist in estimating and tracking wildlife populations and sometimes even help detect the presence of poachers. We stand with Randy and Niery, and our entire team of Junglekeepers Rangers on this World Ranger Day! #WorldRangerDay #StandWithRangers #NaturesProtectors

Patrolling and monitoring the Las Piedras river for illegal activity is so important right now, as poaching, mining and logging have seen an increase while the region is dealing with the pandemic. We stand with Ruben, and our entire team of Junglekeepers Rangers on this World Ranger Day! #WorldRangerDay #StandWithRangers #NaturesProtectors

Slow sunrise at the edge of the world. There are corners of the Amazon that take so long to access, that are so remote, that it feels like some alien world. Stunningly beautiful and overflowing with wild life, devoid of any discernible sign of sapiens. It is a surreal and thrilling gift to wake up to the infinite march of river. To sip coffee to the dawn chorus. We look to the horizon amazed at the exquisite world around us and are full of thanks and wonder. Photo by @mohsinkazmitakespictures