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 bonnet macaque sits on consecrated idols of snakes as it drinks milk offered by a devotee during the Hindu festival of Nag Panchami, which is celebrated by worshipping snakes to honour the serpent god, inside a temple on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India, July 27, 2017. (Photo by Abhishek N. Chinnappa/Reuters)

Tactics reminiscent of the early American frontier days are now being used in Vietnam. Lieutenant Commander Donald D. Sheppard, UBN, of Coronado, California, aims a flaming arrow at a bamboo hut concealing a fortified Viet Cong bunker on the banks of the Bassac River, Vietnam on December 8, 1967. (Photo by AP Photo)

Even upside down, a stereophonic turntable continues to play and hold the interest of Helen Sorowitz, a visitor to the New York High Fidelity Show in New York, September 9, 1960. (Photo by Ruben Goldberg/AP Photo)

A cat stretches on top of dried seafood in a shop in the Sheung Wan district of Hong Kong on August 7, 2020. International Cat Day, celebrated on August 8, is a day to raise awareness for cats and learn about ways to help and protect them. (Photo by Isaac Lawrence/AFP Photo)

A Russian peacekeeper shouts “No pictures!” at a checkpoint outside the city of Stepanakert on November 13, 2020, during a ceasefire in the military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Russian began deploying 2,000 peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh on November 10 after Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed a peace deal to end weeks of fierce fighting over the disputed region. (Photo by Alexander Nemenov/AFP Photo)

A woman walks up a stairway painted in the rainbow colors in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, July 11, 2020. Romania reported 698 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, the highest level since the pandemic reached the country in February. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

A reveller falls over into the road in Newcastle, Britain, July 4, 2020 on the day pubs and restaurants were finally allowed to reopen. (Photo by North News and Pictures)