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 young female snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus).

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

Picture of a black swan (Cygnus atratus) at the Kansas City Zoo.

Picture of an endangered fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) at the Point Defiance 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 a platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) at the Healesville Sanctuary in Healesville, Victoria, Australia.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A vulnerable (IUCN) and federally endangered, nine-week-old clouded leopard cub (Neofelis nebulosa) at the Columbus Zoo.

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

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

The critically-endangered orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) at the Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary. This is one of the rarest birds in the world with fewer than 50 left in the wild.

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

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

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)

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

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.

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

Northern White-faced Owls (Ptilopsis leucotis) at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque). There are only 10 in captivity world wide and are being phased out of zoos.

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

Gordon's purple mossy frogs (Theloderma gordoni) play dead at Reptile Gardens.

Royal Antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus). This species weighs 9-10 pounds making it the smallest of all antelopes.

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

A critically endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) at the Phoenix Zoo.

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

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

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

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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