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 sits next to a damaged idol of Hindu goddess Kali which was taken out after its immersion in the river Ganges in Haridwar, India, March 29, 2017. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

An indigenous woman looks on during the Terra Livre (Free Land) camp, a protest-camp to defend indigenous land and cultural rights that they say are threatened by the right-wing government of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, in Brasilia, Brazil on April 4, 2022. (Photo by Adriano Machado/Reuters)

A member of team Japan performs during the women's team free final at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary on June 24, 2022. (Photo by Marton Monus/Reuters)

Pregame scenes from the game between the Georgia Bulldogs against the Samford Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia on September 9, 2022. (Photo by Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports)

A handset is seen in a damaged phone booth, a day after an Israeli strike on residential buildings in Maaysrah, north of Beirut, Lebanon on September 26, 2024. (Photo by Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters)

A racegoer arrives for Ladies Day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meeting, at Ascot Racecourse in Ascot, England, Thursday, June 22, 2023. (Photo by Alastair Grant/AP Photo)

A model performs with knitting umbrella during the Indonesia Umbrella Festival 2021 at Balekambang Park on December 04, 2021 in Solo City, Indonesia. (Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)