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

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

A short-nosed echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) at the Melbourne Zoo.

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

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

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

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

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

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

De Brazza's monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus) at the Omaha Zoo.

Raggiana Bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea raggiana) at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Picture of a vulnerable (IUCN) and federally endangered cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) at the Columbus Zoo.

Southern corroboree frogs (Pseudophryne corroboree) a critically endangered species at the Healesville Sanctuary in Healesville, Victoria, Australia.

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

A pair of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua papua).

Warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) at the Columbus Zoo.

An endangered Indian rhinoceros female with calf (Rhinoceros unicornis) at the Fort Worth Zoo.

Picture of an endangered Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) at the Lincoln Children's Zoo

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

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

Oblong-winged katydids (Amblycorypha oblongifolia) at the Insectarium in New Orleans. These color variants are found in nature, though anything but green is usually eaten by predators immediately. The Insectarium has been a leader in breeding these color variants for display in the zoo community.

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

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

An Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) at the Omaha Zoo.

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

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

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

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

A half-day-old hatchling leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) from the wild in Bioko. This species is listed as critically endangered by IUCN, and federally endangered (US).

Picture of endangered Toad mountain harlequin frogs (Atelopus certus) in amplexus at the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project.

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

Nicobar pigeon, Caloenas nicobarica, at the Omaha Zoo.

A porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) at the Great Plains Zoo.

Photo: An alligator at the Lincoln Children's 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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