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 butterfly flies into the jaws of a crocodile inhabiting the Tarcoles River, the most polluted basin in Central America and one of the most polluted in Latin America, in the place of Tarcoles, province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, 05 June 2018. Costa Rica, a country recognized worldwide for its environmental policies, seeks to be a leader in the replacement of single-use plastic with renewable and compostable alternatives, despite its lag in terms of recycling and integrated waste management. (Photo by Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA/EFE)

Kaori Sakamoto, of Japan, performs her women's short program during the Skate Canada International figure skating competition in Vancouver, British Columbia, Friday, October 27, 2023. (Photo by Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP Photo)

A tern chick takes its first steps in the first decade of June 2024 at Nickerson Beach, New York, a common nesting location. (Photo by Suraj Ramamurthy/Solent News)

A dancer poses with a new installation of art by British graffiti artist Banksy painted on the front door of the Hustler Club in New York, October 24, 2013. Known for his anti-authoritarian black-and-white stenciled images, which have sold at auction for upwards of $2 million, the British street artist is treating New Yorkers to a daily dose of spray-painted art – while eluding the police and incurring the wrath of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Reuters)

Demonstrators protest against police shootings and racial injustice in New York City, U.S., April 16, 2021. (Photo by David “Dee” Delgado/Reuters)

A charity runner dressed as Father Christmas steps out of a portable toilet ahead of the “Santa Run” charity fun run in Stockholm on December 10, 2017. Hundreds of participants dressed in Santa suits and wearing white beards ran through the streets of the old town in Stockholm in an all charity run. (Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP Photo)

Storm chaser Brad Mack from Buena Park California videotapes a rotating supercell storm west of Newcastle, Texas April 9, 2013. Many of the storms in Tornado Alley that were forecast to be severe this week were taken out by a cold front from Canada. Picture taken April 9, 2013. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Reuters)