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OUR TEAM
We are an independent organization founded in 2015. Leo is a biologist and Lvcas is a graphic designer, both photographers and passionate about nature. Each of us brings different experiences, which converge in a very rich work immersed in science and art. All shared content is made by us, from photography to texts, between expeditions, office and laboratory.
LEO LANNA
RESEARCHER - PHOTOGRAPHER - POET
Leo Lanna has been leading expeditions to the Amazon and Atlantic Rainforest since 2015, when he founded the Projeto Mantis. Guided by the search for praying mantises in tropical rainforest nights, he combines poetry, wildlife photography and innovative research methods to produce vanguard science, studying aspects of evolution, species richness and natural behavior beyond data.
With a flashlight and a camera, he unveils an astonishing and threatened universe - vibrant, alien, poetic and fragile, eternal and ephemeral. While documenting new species and novel behavior, Leo continues to push the boundaries of research out in the wild, with hundreds of hours of forest night dives on some of the most endangered ecosystems on our planet.
" SCIENCE IS NOT JUST ABOUT DATA, BUT ABOUT THE INTRINSIC CONNECTION SCIENTISTS DEVELOP WITH THE LIVING BEINGS THEY RESEARCH "
LVCAS FIAT
CREATIVE DIRECTOR- DESIGNER- VISUAL ARTIST
Lvcas finds inspiration at the intersection of science, conservation and design. His mission is to use design to expand our perception and understanding of the world, joining expeditions, exploring rainforests and working side-by-side with scientists and conservationists. With an artistic and creative approach, he reveals the beauty and wonder of wildlife.
When he joined the Projeto Mantis, Lvcas began to apply his design and marketing experience to conservation and science outreach projects. He specialized in science branding, also founding OOTECA, an agency that has already worked in initiatives such as Instituto Juruá, Documenting Threatened Species and ECO360. With an expansive and exuberant work, Lvcas brings voice and image to science, rainforests and their biodiversity, converting the public perception of value into knowledge and conservation.
" THERE IS NOTHING MORE INSPIRING AND REFERRAL THAN SCIENCE, NATURE, THE INVISIBLE, THE SEARCH FOR THE UNKNOWN AND OUR VIBRANT BIODIVERSITY. "
EXPLORERS
We walk through rivers of mist, from gardens of mountain fields to beaches of the endless sea. We dive into the rainforests, immersed in darkness, carrying only flashlights and a camera. We reveal the mysterious and the fantastic. We are privileged to live our nature so intensely. The human and the wild.
FRIENDS OF JOURNEY
João Herculano and Sávio Cavalcante were part of Projeto Mantis team, friends and fundamental workmates throughout our journey. And we continue to collaborate with these two fantastic researchers. We cannot thank them enough for all the incredible expeditions and experiences we had together, discovering the universe of mantises and rainforests at night.
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TEAMS AND FLAGS
Since our first expeditions, we have carried our flags as a way of celebrating each stage and the meeting of many incredible people who contribute to our work. From the beaches of the green coast to the Amazonian rainforests, our contemporary science is only possible alongside so many journey partners!
