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.

7,000 species photographed for the Photo Ark
A modern-day Noah

—NBC Nightly News
1 porcupine 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

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

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

South Georgia king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus patagonicus) at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) from the Toiyabe subpopulation near Austin, NV. (Candidate for listing under the US Endangered Species Act.)

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.

A pair of Vulturine guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum) at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

Picture of Rajah, an endangered, male white Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) at Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.

An Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis). Also known as harlequin ladybird, multicolored Asian lady beetle and halloween lady beetle.

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

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.

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

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

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

A Prevost's squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii prevostii) named 'Walnut' at the Houston Zoo.

Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

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

A West Usambara two-horned chameleon (Kinyongia multituberculata) at the Houston Zoo.

Damaraland mole rats (Fukomys damarensis) at the Houston Zoo. These burrowing rodents from sub-Saharan Africa are one of only two known eusocial mammals.

A pair of blue poison dart frogs (Dendrobates azureus) at Reptile Gardens.

Picture of bats, songbirds and a hawk killed by a single wind turbine in a year.

Photo: Hibernating Arctic ground squirrels (Spermopilus parryii) at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

Photo: A musk ox (Obvibos moschatus) at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, AK.

A western harris' hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus superior) named Hudson at The Living Desert.

Photo: A kaiser spotted newt (Neurergus kaiseri) from Conservation Fisheries.

A vulnerable male African lion (Panthera leo krugeri) named Mr. Big at the Omaha Zoo.

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

An endangered San Lucas marsupial frog (Gastrotheca pseustes) tadpole collected near Pilalo, Ecuador.

A federally endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) named Lucy at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.

Picture of a federally endangered Plymouth red-bellied turtle (Pseudemys rubriventris bangsi) sometimes called the Plymouth red-bellied cooter, at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

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

Picture of a vulnerable (IUCN) and federally endangered, booming Attwater's Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) at the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas.

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.

A federally threatened Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) at the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas.

Gray's crowned guenon (Cercopithecus pogonias grayi ) at the Cincinnati Zoo. There are five individuals left of this species in captivity. All five reside at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Joel Sartore News

Leadbeater’s Possum Becomes National Geographic Photo Ark’s 7,000th Species

With this image of the Leadbeater’s possum at Zoos Victoria, the Photo Ark has surpassed the 7,000 species milestone. This adorable marsupial was missing in action for more than 50 years before being rediscovered in 1961. The tiny possums are speedy and feisty, and, with estimates as low as 50 for the Lowland population, their status…

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