RARE: Creatures of the Photo Ark

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I’m Joel Sartore.

Ever wonder about those wildlife photographers who risk life and limb to get the perfect shot? That’s me. I’ve spent 25 years with National Geographic—and I’ve got the stories and scars to prove it. These days my focus is on the Photo Ark, the world’s largest collection of animal studio portraits. My goal is simple: to get the public to care and save species from extinction.

8000 species photographed for the Photo Ark
A modern-day Noah

—NBC Nightly News
1 porcupine named Piper on the cover of
National Geographic
4 times chased by grizzlies
250 talks given worldwide
2 spitting cobras found in camera gear

Speaking Engagements

“Joel never fails to dazzle.”
Known for his sense of humor and incredible stories from the field, Joel is a popular speaker with conservation, corporate, and civic groups.

Hire him to entertain and inspire your audience.

Book Joel to Speak

Recent Talks

An endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) at the Omaha Zoo.

Picture of a platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) at the Healesville Sanctuary in Healesville, Victoria, Australia.

Albino eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) at the Columbus Zoo

Picture of an Argentine horned frog (Ceratophrys ornata) at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

Photo: An American crocodile (Crocodilus acutus) at the Omaha Zoo.

Photo: A naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

A Malayan great argus (Argusianus argus argus) at the Houston Zoo.

A Northern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita) at the Houston Zoo. This is a critically endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered bird from the Middle East.

Vulnerable (IUCN) and federally endangered Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) named 'Usi' from the Omaha Zoo.

A grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum) with a pair of West African black-crowned cranes (Balearica pavonina pavonina) at the Columbus Zoo, Columbus, Ohio.

Picture of an endangered fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) at the Point Defiance Zoo.

A critically endangered harlequin frog (Atelopes varius) at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. This species, from Panama, is now thought to be extinct in the wild. With only 300 or so in captivity, it is thought to be one of the rarest amphibians in the world.

Joel is the founder of the Photo Ark, a 25-year effort to photograph every species in human care around the globe.

Explore the Photo Ark

Photo: A red celestial eye, a fancy breed of goldfish at Ocean Park in Hong Kong.

A critically endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered red wolf (Canis rufus gregoryi) at the Great Plains Zoo.

Red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

A kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) named Frankie at The Living Desert.

Photo: Hasari, a federally endangered three-year-old cheetah, at White Oak Conservation Center.

A pair of red-backed bearded sakis (Chiropotes chiropotes) at the Omaha Zoo.

Little red flying fox (Pteropus scapulatus) from the Australian Bat Clinic and Narrow Leaf Retreat.

Pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) at the Great Plains Zoo.

A Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) at Zoo Atlanta.

Budgett's frog (Lepidobatrachus laevis) at the Baltimore Aquarium.

Picture of a flock of scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) at the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas.

Picture of a vulnerable adult female white bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) with her baby, part of Pangolin Conservation, a non-profit organization in Saint Augustine, Florida.

Kindu, a Schmidt's red-tailed guenon (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti). Kindu was hand raised at the Houston Zoo. During bottle feedings, Kindu was given a surrogate stuffed animal that he still loves.

Picture of an opossum (Didelphis virginiana) with babies.

Warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) at the Columbus Zoo.

Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris exalbidus) at the Miller Park Zoo.

An endangered (IUCN) East African crowned crane (Balearica regulorum gibbericeps) at the Kansas City Zoo.

A spectacled owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata).

A vulnerable 1-year-old fossa, Cryptoprocta ferox, at the Omaha Zoo. This is Madagascar's largest mammalian predator, and its numbers are declining in the wild.

Picture of a four-horned chameleon (Chamaeleo quadricornis quadricornis) at the Saint Louis Zoo.

Joel Sartore News

USA Today Publishes Story About 12 Days of Photo Ark

On December 12th, 2017, USA Today published a story documenting the Photo Ark’s 12 Days of Christmas social media campaign. The Photo Ark project, which aims to document every species living in the world’s zoos and other protected areas before they’re extinct, is releasing one photo a day for 12 days on social media. From koalas to…

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