The National Geographic Photo Ark is a travelling exhibition of photographer Joel Sartore’s quest to create a photo archive of biodiversity around the world. So far, Sartore has captured studio portraits of more than 6,000 species – a number that he hopes to double. On 1 July, the ark will open at Melbourne zoo – the first time it has been exhibited in the southern hemisphere. More than 50 portraits will be on display, including many of Australian endangered animals being protected by programs at the zoo itself. These captions have been edited from text supplied by Melbourne zoo. Here: Barking owl. (Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark/The Guardian)

A man holds his umbrella during snowfall on the Areopagitou pedestrian street beneath the Acropolis hill during snowfall in Athens, Greece, January 10, 2017. (Photo by Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters)

A Palestinian man performs fire breathing on the beach in Gaza City on 02 September 2022. (Photo by Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Tuvalu-registered OS 35 cargo ship lies on the seabed, offshore Gibraltar, Tuesday, August 30, 2022. Gibraltar authorities say they have beached a cargo ship to prevent it from sinking after it collided with a liquefied natural gas carrier in the bay of Gibraltar. (Photo by Europa Press via AP Photo)

Four-year-old Eve Hill enjoys the wet weather in York, northeast England on August 2, 2023. (Photo by James Glossop/The Times)

Newcastle United's Fabian Schar and Southampton's Ben Brereton Diaz butt heads before Schar was sent off during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Southampton FC at St James' Park on August 17, 2024 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Scott Heppell/Reuters)

Relatives mourn during the funeral of Baptist church minister Andre Tessono, who was killed during 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the area 8 days ago, in the Picot neighborhood in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, August 22, 2021. (Photo by Matias Delacroix/AP Photo)

Punjab police's “Shakti Teams” a squad formed for women safety waits before an official flag off ceremony in Amritsar on September 14, 2021. (Photo by Narinder Nanu/AFP Photo)