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

Picture of an opossum (Didelphis virginiana) with babies.

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.

Malaysian horned leaf frog (Megophrys nasuta) from a private collection.

An endangered (IUCN) and federally threatened Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) at the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari near Ashland, Nebraska.

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

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

Vulnerable (IUCN) and federally endangered mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, TX.

Desert cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus audubonii) at the Omaha Zoo.

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

Photo: An emerald swallowtail (Papilio palinurus) at the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans.

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

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

Picture of a Haitian ground boa (Epicrates fordii) from a private collection in the Dominican Republic.

A red fan parrot (Deroptyus accipitrinus accipitrinus) at the Houston Zoo.

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

Photo: Hours-old least tern (Sterna antillarum) chicks sleep as they're photographed near North Bend, Nebraska.

Picture of a six-day-old Malayan tapir, Tapirus indicus, at the Minnesota Zoo. Endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered

A bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) named Bensar at the George M. Sutton Avian Research Center.

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

Picture of a white-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi) named Gonzo at The Living Desert.

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

Picture of endangered red ruffed lemurs (Varecia rubra) at the Miller Park Zoo.

A critically endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered captive Catalina Island fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae) named Tachi at Quail Valley Fox Clinic on Catalina Island, CA. This animal is the last captive left over from a breeding program designed to save the species that took place from 2001-2004. A hand-raised animal, it is now used for education. Biologists estimate just over 500 of these foxes live on Catalina Island, California. This animal is a subspecies of the Channel Island fox.

Picture of endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered Francois langurs (Trachypithecus francoisi) at the Omaha Zoo

Picture of a vulnerable giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) named Ellie Mae with her pup, Zander, at the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas. Zander was born in January, 2013.

Picture of a federally endangered jaguar (Panthera onca) at the Omaha Zoo.

A Linne's two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus).

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 western leopard gecko or Iranian fat-tailed gecko (Eublepharis angramainyu) at the Saint Louis Zoo.

James bond the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) at The Living Desert.

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

A critically endangered sumatran orangutan, Pongo abelii, at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, TX.

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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