Zulmira Jesus poses for a portrait at a street in Povoa de Agracoes, near Chaves, Portugal April 19, 2016. In the villages of Agracoes and Povoa de Agracoe, the steady drip-drip of emigration has brought down population numbers from more than 50 residents to fewer than a dozen each. These remaining villagers share the same glum acceptance that, after they have gone, their villages will die out too. It is the same desolate picture in scores of other backwater settlements in Portugal's interior, north to south. (Photo by Rafael Marchante/Reuters)

Matt Town of the st Centingas historic re-enactment group poses for portraits in his home while wearing his replica Saxon armour on October 12, 2016 in Ramsgate, England. This weekend marks the 950th anniversary of 1066, the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest, and many historical groups will be participating in a large-scale re-enactment on the site of the original battle. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

A re-enactor poses for a portrait before a re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings, commemorating the 950th anniversary of the battle, in Battle, Britain October 15, 2016. Some thousands of history buffs including many in full costume marked the 1066 Battle of Hastings with a dramatic reenactment that commemorates one of the most important events in British history. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)

A tourist clad in Japanese kimono takes a picture in front of s portrait shop in Tokyo's Asakusa district, Thursday, February 15, 2018. Asakusa is a popular district four tourists in the capital. (Photo by Shizuo Kambayashi/AP Photo)

Izelle Nair, 39, the instructor at the Merschool poses for a portrait in her mermaid attire at the centre in Kayalami, Midrand, South Africa on June 3, 2022. Mermaiding is a fast growing sport world wide and includes several skills such as monofin swimming, sculling, tricks and breath hold. (Photo by Marco Longari/AFP Photo)

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)