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.

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Recent Talks

An Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) at the Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure. (IUCN: endangered)

Picture of a Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) at the Columbus Zoo.

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

With one of the world's largest migratory routes, the red knot (Calidris canutus rufa) finds itself especially susceptible to any disruption in its feeding areas along the way. Overfishing of horseshoe crabs along the eastern coast of the US has taken away a much-needed source of energy for the species. (US: Candidate for listing)

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

Photo: A male painted bunting (Passerina cris) captured at the Brown Ranch, Texas.

Photo: Slender-tailed meerkat (Suricata suricatta) at the Miller Park Zoo. A typical meerkat clan can have anywhere from 20-50 members.

Photo: An endangered mint morph of the terrible poison dart frog (Phyllobates terriblis) from a private collection.

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

Picture of a serval (Leptailurus serval) named 'Kenya' at the Fort Worth Zoo.

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

Yellow-streaked lory (Chalcopsitta sintillata rubrifrons) at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

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 ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) at the Omaha Zoo.

A portrait of a federally endangered peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus).

An endangered Coquerel's sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) at the Houston Zoo.

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 Choctawhatchee beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus allophrys) a federally-endangered rodent.

Picture of a vulnerable (IUCN) and federally threatened loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) at the Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia, South Carolina.

Picture of critically endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered Edward's pheasants at the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, KS.

A male eastern bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) at the Great Plains Zoo.

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

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

Picture of an endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered Franois langur (Trachypithecus francoisi) at the Kansas City 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.

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

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

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) from Sierra Chincua, Mexico.

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

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

A federally endangered gray wolf (Canis lupus) at the New York State Zoo in Watertown, NY.

Picture of a rusty-spotted genet or Central African large-spotted genet (Genetta maculata) at the Miller Park Zoo.

A female, vulnerable African elephant (Loxodonta africana) at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

A three-month-old baby chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) named Ruben at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. Listed as endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered

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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